@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.
On Preparing the Soul for the Day's Encounters
May 15th 177 CE
Last updated December 22nd 2025
I have found that the tranquility of the day is often won or lost in its first moments. Before the demands of the Empire and the pleas of men begin, I perform this exercise. It is a preparation, not for what I hope will happen, but for what will inevitably happen: I shall meet those who are meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, and ignorant of the good. This practice is not an invitation to despair, but a forging of mental armor. By rehearsing these encounters, you remind yourself that no person can harm your inner self unless you permit it. This is how you preserve your composure and act with virtue, unperturbed by the failings of others.
You will need:
1. Rise with Purpose at First Light
The covers may feel warm, but ask yourself: Was I made for this, to huddle in comfort? Or was I made for action? The world has its work to do—the spider, the ant, the bee—and you have yours. Rise to do the work of a human being, for this is what your nature demands.
2. Contemplate the Day's Encounters
Say to yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness. Picture these men in your mind. Do not turn away from the unpleasantness of the thought; face it directly, for foresight disarms surprise.
3. Understand the Source of Their Faults
Remind yourself that they act this way only through their ignorance of what is truly good and evil. This is a failing of their judgment, not a mark of true wickedness. They are afflicted by a blindness of the soul, and for that they deserve a measure of patience.
4. Affirm Your Inner Citadel's Invulnerability
Know this truth: None of them can harm me. They cannot implicate my soul in ugliness, nor can they damage my ruling faculty. My character is my own, and it remains untouched unless I allow my own judgment to be corrupted by passion or fear.
5. Acknowledge Your Shared Nature
Remember that you are of the same stock. Not of the same blood, but of the same mind, a portion of the same divinity. We are made for cooperation, like two rows of teeth. To work against another is against Nature. To be vexed with them is to separate yourself from the whole.
6. Distinguish What Is in Your Control
Their words and actions are externals, not your own. What is yours? Your judgment about these things. Your assent. Your response. Focus only on this sphere, for this is the sole domain where your virtue can be practiced and your tranquility preserved.
7. Resolve to Act with Virtue
Determine now how you will respond: not with anger or hurt, but with patience, justice, and a steady hand. Will you correct them gently? Will you endure them without complaint? Decide your course of action now, so that in the moment, reason and not passion may guide you.
8. Proceed to Your Duties
Thus prepared, you may enter the day. Engage with the world and your fellow men not with naive hope, but with rational foresight and a calm spirit. Go forth and do what is necessary, for yourself and for the common good.
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