Marcus Aurelius
121–180 21 entries
Biography
Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and a Stoic philosopher, the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. Born in Rome, he was adopted into the imperial family as a young man and was carefully educated in rhetoric and philosophy. He ruled at first together with Lucius Verus, and his reign was troubled by wars with the Parthians in the east and with Germanic tribes along the Danube, as well as by a great plague. He spent many of his last years on campaign in the north.
In camp he wrote, in Greek, a series of personal notes that he never meant to publish, now known as the Meditations. In them he reminds himself to accept what cannot be changed, to do his duty and to treat others with justice and patience. He died in 180 while on campaign on the Danube, and his Meditations remain one of the most widely read books of philosophy.
- Quotes 21