Stoic Sensei #6: Marcus Aurelius – The Emperor’s Last Word
The Diary of a Philosopher-King (and Why It Still Slaps)
Let’s be real: if Stoicism had a frontman, it’d be Marcus Aurelius.
The Roman Emperor himself—wearer of laurel crowns, ruler of the known world… and, on the inside, just another guy trying to keep his shit together.
Born in 121 CE, Marcus wasn’t some pampered prince. His life was a messy mix of wars, plagues, backstabbing senators, and a personal grief that could’ve crushed him. Yet through it all, he kept coming back to one thing: the mind—his greatest ally and worst enemy.
The Meditations: A Private Journal for Public Survival
Marcus didn’t set out to publish a book. His Meditations were private notes—like a journal you’d scribble in at 3am when you can’t sleep because your empire’s on fire (literally).
No posturing. No PR spin. Just raw honesty:
“You have power over your mind—not outside events.”
“Death smiles at us all; all a man can do is smile back.”
Memento mori. Remember that death comes for us all—so live fully, not fearfully. These weren’t just Stoic soundbites—they were a lifeline. Marcus was practicing how to be decent, how to be present, and how to keep his soul intact when the world was anything but.
Remember that you’re part of a bigger picture. Don’t get so caught up in your own bullshit that you forget you’re here to serve the greater good.
Marcus could’ve let power warp him—most emperors did. Instead, he tried to live like a philosopher in a palace: humble, self-aware, and painfully honest about his flaws. He didn’t always win that battle, but he never stopped fighting it.
He wasn’t a marble statue; he was a man who admitted he was tired, that people drove him nuts, and that he still believed in showing up fully anyway.
That’s not perfection. That’s practice. And that’s why he’s still the Stoic Sensei to end all Stoic Senseis.
My Take: Midlife Mayhem and Marcus
If Marcus could keep his perspective while running an empire, I can definitely try to keep mine while navigating my own midlife mayhem.
No, I’m not holding the fate of Rome in my hands, but I am holding the shape of my next chapter. And Marcus reminds me that’s enough. He reminds me that:
You don’t have to be perfect to be good.
You don’t have to have all the answers to keep going.
Even emperors had to start over, every damn day.
So here’s what I’m taking from Marcus Aurelius, as I close out this six-week Stoic adventure:
Life is messy.
Virtue is your compass.
And showing up—no matter how small, no matter how wobbly—is the most radical act of all.
We’re all emperors of our own tiny empires. And in the end, the only empire that matters is the one you build inside your mind.
xo,
Jade