Stoic Philosophy: 3 Things We Can Learn From Marcus Aurelius

Exploring Timeless Wisdom From A Legendary Philosopher

Marcus Aurelius was an exemplary philosopher.

Imagine this; you’re in control of one of the largest and most powerful empires on the planet, you have access to more riches and luxuries than 99.9% of people, and you can fulfill any desire that you may have. What would you do?

For Marcus Aurelius, the answer was simple; delve into philosophy.

In today’s post, we’ll be exploring three things that we can learn from Marcus Aurelius. Specifically, I’ll be using quotes from his work Meditations to guide us through these three core themes. Marcus Aurelius was a significant contributor to the philosophical school of thought known as Stoicism, a philosophy that has seen a resurgence in popularity within the modern era.

Marcus Aurelius

Long before his quotes were peppered throughout Facebook and Instagram and his school of thought, Stoicism, was pushed forward by ‘self-help’ gurus on the internet, Marcus Aurelius was an accomplished Roman emperor and philosopher. Born in 121 AD in Rome, Aurelius was related to the emperors Trajan and Hadrian through marriage. His father died when he was three, and he was eventually adopted by his uncle, Antoninus Pius. After the reigning emperor Hadrian’s death in 138, Antoninus became emperor, and Marcus became the heir to the throne.

Marcus was educated in rhetoric and philosophy, and he also studied Greek and Latin starting from a young age. Marcus took control of the throne after his uncle’s death in 161, and although the Roman Empire witnessed quite a lot of military conflict during his time as emperor, he was known for ruling with a focus on duty and moral integrity. He was regarded as one of the “Five Good Emperors”, a term coined by Niccolò Machiavelli, alongside Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, and Antoninus Pius.

In addition to being an emperor, Aurelius was also a philosopher. He contributed significantly to Stoicism, which is a philosophy that was started by Zeno of Citium in Greece but flourished within the Roman Empire as well. Aurelius contributed to Stoicism mainly through his work Meditations, which was written while he was on a military campaign sometime between 170 and 180. He wrote the text to be a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. The original title of the work is unknown.

Stoicism

Stoicism is a school of philosophical thought which was started in Greece by Zeno of Citium around 300 BC. The Stoics believed that a “good life” or a complete life (Eudaimonia) could be achieved by living with a careful emphasis on which virtues we employ on a daily basis. In addition to Marcus Aurelius, other notable Stoics include Seneca, Epictetus, Musonius Rufus, and others. The Stoics had a strong emphasis on embracing ‘good’ virtues, such as courage or moderation, and avoiding vices, such cowardice or intemperance.

Stoic philosophy emphasizes the importance of rationality, personal virtue, and the acceptance of things beyond one’s control. The philosophy urges individuals to detach themselves from excessive desires and emotions, and instead promotes a focus on things that are in our control, such as our thoughts and actions.

Stoicism is quite a detailed and multi-faceted philosophy, and I unfortunately won’t be able to do it justice within this paragraph. The Stoics had their own set of ethics, framework of epistemology and logic, as well as their own approach to science, such as Stoic physics. Stoicism experienced a decline after the rise of Christianity, but saw a “revival” or rise in popularity during the Renaissance as well as today, in the modern era.

In the modern era, especially present day, Stoicism has experienced a resurgence in popularity. Social media influencers and many others have taken an interest in Stoic texts and ideas, which is great, but this has unfortunately led to many fake quotes attributed to various Stoic thinkers circulating around on the internet. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think editing a quote for clarity and readability is perfectly fine - many modern translations of ancient philosophical texts do exactly this, and there is no harm in it. Rather, I have an issue with people who create fake quotes and attribute them to a philosopher. I think it’s disrespectful to both the philosopher, his work, and to the countless people throughout history who’ve dedicated hours and hours to preserving their work. Each quote featured below has actually been taken from Marcus Aurelius’ work, and while the exact wording may differ from version to version due to the various translations of Meditations, I can assure you that the quotes are actually derived from Aurelius’ work.

Now, let’s dive into three things we can learn from Marcus Aurelius.

1. Focus On What’s In Your Control

A theme that particularly resonated with me within Meditations is the importance of focusing on what’s in our control.

“Your ability to control your thoughts -- treat it with respect. It’s all that protects your mind from false perceptions -- false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. It’s what makes thoughtfulness possible, and affection for other people, and submission to the divine.” - Book 3, #9

“If it’s in your control, why do you do it? If it’s in someone else’s, then who are you blaming? Atoms? The gods? Stupid either way. Blame no one. Set people straight, if you can. If not, just repair the damage. And suppose you can’t do that either. Then where does blaming people get you? No pointless actions” - Book 8, #17

“You take things you don’t control and define them as ‘good’ or ‘bad’. And so of course when the ‘bad’ things happen, or the ‘good’ ones don’t, you blame the gods and feel hatred for the people responsible -- or those you decide to make responsible. Much of our bad behavior stems from trying to apply those criteria. If we limited ‘good’ and ‘bad’ to our own actions, we’d have no call to challenge God, or to treat other people as enemies.” - Book 6, #41

Throughout Meditations, Aurelius reminds us that true freedom lies in remaining attentive to what we have control over. We tend to get upset over things which are beyond our control, which ultimately does nothing for us. As Aurelius points out; if something is inevitable or completely out of your control, it’s basically pointless to get upset about it - the only thing that getting upset does is harm you further. The best course of action is to ‘weather the storm’ by focusing on what is in your control, such as your thoughts and subsequent actions. This theme is powerful because Aurelius is essentially illustrating a very simple yet profound message; the best way to deal with what’s out of your control is to focus on what is. Another benefit of focusing on what’s in your control is that it mitigates our ability to blame others and external circumstances, which ultimately promotes accountability. People blame others as a way to avoid facing their own flaws and errors in judgment, which does nothing but make their own problems worse. By focusing solely on what’s in your control - your thoughts and actions - you become more accountable and can avoid wrongly placing blame. This is illustrated within the last quote.

2. Interpretation is Key

Another theme that I found interesting is Aurelius’ emphasis on remaining careful with how we interpret things.

“Things have no hold on the soul. They have no access to it, cannot move or direct it. It is moved and directed by itself alone. It takes the things before it and interprets them as it sees fit.” - Book 5, #19

“To live a good life:

We have the potential for it. If we can learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference. This is how we learn: by looking at each thing, both the parts and the whole. Keeping in mind that none of them can dictate how we perceive it. They don’t impose themselves on us. They hover before us, unmoving. It is we who generate the judgements -- inscribing them on ourselves. And we don’t have to. We could leave the page blank -- and if a mark slips through, erase it instantly… And why is it so hard when things go against you? If it’s imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting it. And if not, work out what your own nature requires, and aim at that, even if it brings you no glory.

None of us is forbidden to pursue our own good.” - Book 11, #16

“It’s all in how you perceive it. You’re in control. You can dispense with misperception at will, like rounding the point. Serenity, total calm, safe anchorage.” - Book 12, #22

According to Aurelius, interpretation is a critical part of any Stoic’s intellectual toolbox.

How we interpret things can dictate how much something can harm or benefit us. As illustrated within the second quote above, things ‘do not dictate’ how we perceive them - that part is fully within our control. Through interpretation, we can take even the hardest of situations and use them to benefit us in some way. Now, this isn’t to say that parts of life aren’t painful, hard, or frightening, but rather, that we must do our best to minimize the impact that these things have on us by using what is in our control to our full advantage. According to Aurelius, it’s a fallacy that external factors can have a ‘hold’ on our souls. We may falsely believe this, but at the end of the day, it is completely in our control as to how we interpret and react to everything that is thrown our way in life.

3. Live In The Present & Remember That Life is Finite

“Discard your misperceptions. 

Stop being jerked like a puppet.

Limit yourself to the present.

Understand what happens - to you, to others. 

Analyze what exists, break it all down: material and cause.

Anticipate your final hours.

Other’s people's mistakes? Leave them to their makers.” - Book 7, #29

“Don’t let your imagination be crushed by life as a whole. Don’t try to picture everything bad that could possibly happen. Stick with the situation at hand, and ask, “Why is this so unbearable? Why can’t I endure it?” You’ll be embarrassed to answer.

Then remind yourself that past and future have no power over you. Only the present -- and even that can be minimized. Just mark off its limits. And if your mind tries to claim that it can’t hold out against that … well, then, heap shame upon it.” - Book 8, #36

Within Meditations, Aurelius also advocates for us to live in the present, and not take our lives for granted. It’s easy to get caught up within your own head and constantly think about everything but the present moment. Aurelius highlights the fact that the ‘past and the future have no power over you’ and that the only thing that really matters and can impact you is the present. This is similar to some of Alan Watts’ ideas, which I have covered in a previous article, as he states that the present moment is all we have, and so if you spend every waking second living everywhere but the present, are you really living at all?

Aurelius also states that it’s important to remember that our lives are finite. All of us only have one life, and so it’s important to live properly and authentically to who you are. I find the following quotes from Book 2 and 7 to be particularly impactful;

“Human life.

Duration: momentary. Nature: changeable. Perception: dim. Condition of Body: decaying. Soul: spinning around. Fortune: unpredictable. Lasting Fame: uncertain. Sum Up: The body and its parts are a river, the soul of a dream and mist, life is warfare and a journey far from home, lasting reputation is oblivion.

Then what can guide us?

Only philosophy.” - Book 2, #17

“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.” - Book 7, #56

What I take from Aurelius’ comments on the finiteness of life, especially the last quote above, is this; it’s important to live life well and true to who we are as individuals. This means pursuing what you truly want to pursue, believing in what you truly want to believe in, and conducting yourself true to who you are. Why? Because our time on earth is brief. We get one chance to live the life that we’re living now, and it would be a gross miscalculation to live a life that you don’t want to live. How we live our lives, including our actions and our thoughts, are completely in our control. Therefore, how we live should be truly reflective of us.

“Soon you’ll be ashes, or bones. A mere name, at most -- and even that is just a sound, an echo. The things we want in life are empty, stale, and trivial. Dogs snarling at each other. Quarreling children -- laughing and then bursting into tears a moment later. Trust, shame, justice, truth --”gone from the earth and only found in heaven.”

Why are you still here? Sensory objects are shifting and unstable; our senses dim and easily deceived; the itself a decoction of the blood; fame in a world like this is worthless.

-- And so?

Wait for it patiently -- annihilation or metamorphosis. 

-- and until that time comes -- what?

Honor and revere the gods, treat human beings as they deserve, be tolerant with others and strict with yourself. Remember, nothing belongs to you but your flesh and blood -- and nothing else is under your control.” - Book 5, #33

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