The Daily Stoic3 Jun 2019

An Easy Source of Encouragement

Why did Marcus Aurelius write his Meditations? It wasn’t for an audience. It wasn’t simply to practice his Greek or his rhetorical abilities—he was already good at all those things. The book lacks an author’s note and he never seemed to have told anyone about his intentions, so we can’t know for sure.

But there are two clues that, when put together, provide an answer as good as any. Have you noticed how much of Meditations is about other people? The opening, “Debts and Lessons,” makes up nearly ten percent of the book. Almost every other page has at least one quote or one story or one mention of a story about somebody else.

So when we come across this passage in Book 6, it all suddenly makes sense:

“When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind.”

Marcus was writing to encourage himself! He was thinking of the qualities of the people around him. He was showering himself in their virtues so that he might be improved by the association. And as far as we can tell, it worked. Because he was a good man, despite facing incredible temptations and pressures.

Today, we should follow this example anew. Maybe

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Denne episoden er hentet fra en åpen RSS-feed og er ikke publisert av Podme. Den kan derfor inneholde annonser.

Episoder(3087)

Who Can Teach Us More? | Stick With Just The Facts

We don’t control the role we are assigned by circumstance…but we control how we play that role.💡 We designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide) as a personal field guide —part book club,...

10 Aug 8min

BONUS | The Daily Routine That Built Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius’ life looked nothing like ours, but the habits that kept him grounded still work today. In this episode, Ryan breaks down the daily practices Marcus used to stay focused, disciplined, ...

10 Aug 16min

11 Final Takeaways From The Odyssey

What can a 3,000-year-old story about gods, monsters, and shipwrecks teach us today? Almost everything. In this episode, Ryan breaks down some of the most powerful lessons from The Odyssey and the anc...

9 Aug 32min

Stop Judging People. Go Meet Them. | Peter Santenello

It is easy to judge people from a distance. It is much harder to reduce them to a stereotype once you have sat with them, listened to their story, and tried to understand how they see the world. In th...

8 Aug 58min

Ask Yourself For Peace (And You’ll Find It At Your Feet) | A Week Without Complaining

All you want is some quiet. All you want is some space. All you want is some calm. More than want it, you need it. You need it for your sanity. For your survival.🎶 Song lyrics: Future Islands - "A D...

7 Aug 7min

This Is Almost a Miracle | The Epictetus Lesson Kyle Carpenter Lives By

Epictetus’s work changed Marcus’ life. Both of them have changed Ryan's life. Both of them will change your life—if you let them.--Kyle Carpenter is a medically retired United States Marine who receiv...

6 Aug 11min

These Are Things You Cannot Buy

As Epictetus, the slave-turned-philosopher who inspired Marcus, reminds us, ”Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”🎶 Song lyrics: A Satisfied Mind (Bon Iver versi...

5 Aug 2min

The Marcus Aurelius Quote Tom Junod Can’t Forget

One sentence from Marcus Aurelius made Tom Junod circle it three times, star it, and dog-ear the page. In this episode, Ryan talks with the acclaimed writer about reading Meditations for the first tim...

5 Aug 12min