marcus aurelius
![the stoic who turned pale in a storm](/content/images/size/w720/2024/05/An-ancient-ship-in-the-middle-of-a-storm-1.png)
the stoic who turned pale in a storm
In Aulus Gellius' The Attic Nights, there's a fascinating tale about a Stoic philosopher who found himself in a dire situation at sea. This anecdote, to be specific, describes the Stoic doctrine concerning involuntary emotional reactions or “proto-passions” (propatheiai), and thus, paints a vivid picture of human
keep your fortress strong and impenetrable
“No, it is events that give rise to fear—when another has power over them or can prevent them, that person becomes able to inspire fear. How is the fortress destroyed? Not by iron or fire, but by judgments… here is where we must begin, and it is from this
finding grace in uncommon places
“Life is an inexhaustible treasure, but only the heart of the poet can know it.”
— Osho
The world is filled with poetry, if only we have eyes to see it. As Marcus Aurelius wrote in a passage in Meditations, even simple sights like stalks of grain bending in the wind
start a chain of goodness today
In Meditations, Marcus Aurelius wrote, “Find joy and rest in one thing alone: in moving from one socially useful act to another, while remaining mindful of God.” (6.7)
In general, Marcus, like other Stoics, wrote about being indifferent to both pleasure and pain, and hardly touched on the question
get up and get going
![book summary: pithy insights from ‘meditations’ [2/3]](/content/images/size/w720/wordpress/2021/08/Meditations-Marcus-Aurelius-Art-5.png)
book summary: pithy insights from ‘meditations’ [2/3]
* Ambition is not a bad thing, but we must also understand that fame,
recognition, and status are transient and making their pursuit a chief goal
in our lives is downright stupid.
* Oblivion is inevitable. Countless men and women — famous, wealthy, and
powerful during their respective times — have been forgotten.
* Fame