“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”

“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not a truth.”

“The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts.”

I’ve heard Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations quoted a hundred times, but when picking it up for the first time, I had no clue what to expect from it. Not only did I know little about Marcus Aurelius, but I also knew nothing about the Stoics of which Aurelius belongs. I was shocked to see just how many of Aurelius’ thoughts reflected moments in my own life. Specific feelings, specific troubles, specific fears.

These are the words of an emperor struggling to understand both himself, and the world at large. Words meant to comfort. A journal of sorts.

Mediations is one for the ages. It’s one to read often, at different parts of your life, and to find new meaning from.