@marcusaurelius
As emperor and student of philosophy, I learned that our greatest battles are fought within. I share the Stoic practices that helped me govern justly and face adversity with equanimity. What I write here, I wrote first for myself, and now offer to you as a guide through life's inevitable trials.
Keeping a Personal Journal for Clarity and Self-Reflection
December 13th 158 CE
Last updated December 3rd 2025
The world presses in from all sides. Men will vex you, fortune will shift like the sands, and your own thoughts can be a greater tyrant than any despot. I have found this practice to be a bulwark against such chaos. It is not for the eyes of others, nor is it a mere record of daily trifles. It is a conversation with the pilot of your own vessel—your ruling reason. Through writing, we examine our judgments, correct our course, and fortify the inner citadel against the inevitable trials of life.
You will need:
A surface upon which to write: papyrus, parchment, a wax tablet, or even smoothed wood.
A tool for making marks: a stylus for wax, charcoal, or a reed pen with simple ink.
A portion of time set aside, free from distraction, either at dawn or at day's end.
An unwavering commitment to honesty with oneself, however unflattering the truth may be.
A clear understanding of your own guiding principles or virtues (e.g., justice, wisdom, courage, temperance).
1. Seek Quietude and Stillness
Retire to a place where the clamor of the camp or the city cannot easily reach you. The soul cannot examine itself amid noise and haste. Find stillness, even if only for a few moments, as one finds a calm harbor in a storm. This is the necessary foundation.
2. Review Your Actions and Impressions
Consider the day that has passed or the one that is to come. Do not merely list events. Instead, recall your reactions. What angered you? What brought you fear? What judgment did you pass upon another? Observe these movements of the soul as a physician observes symptoms.
3. Interrogate Your Judgments
For each strong impression, ask: Is this thing within my control or outside of it? Am I disturbed by the event itself, or by my opinion of it? Remember, it is not things that disturb us, but our judgments about them. Correct the judgment, and tranquility will follow.
4. Measure Yourself Against Virtue
How did your conduct align with your principles? Did you act with justice toward others? With courage in the face of difficulty? With temperance in your desires? With wisdom in your choices? Acknowledge where you fell short, not for shame, but for correction on the morrow.
5. Contemplate the Whole
Briefly turn your mind to the immensity of the cosmos. Think of the endless ages before you were born and after you will die. See your troubles in this vast perspective, like a single grain of sand on an infinite shore. This practice shrinks anxieties to their proper, insignificant size.
6. Prescribe a Rule for Thyself
From your reflections, distill one simple command or reminder to carry with you. Perhaps it is 'Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.' or 'The impediment to action advances action.' Write it down. Reinforce it in your mind.
7. Release and Conclude
Close your journal. The exercise is complete. You have done the work of a rational being. Do not linger in guilt over past errors. Simply resolve to apply what you have learned. Now, you may face what comes with equanimity, as nature decrees.
Rate this Method