1

Marcus Aurelius

Cory Stagg

Professor’s Name

Course

Date
 2

Marcus Aurelius

Since the onset of leadership and subjects, there have been many leaders —kings, queens,

emperors — of varying qualities. While not all the leaders were role models to admire, some

were exquisite in behavior and thought. An example is one Roman emperor who also doubles up

as the historical figure that inspires me greatly. Notably, he was one of the last good leaders in

the Roman empire. After him, Rome was plunged into a civil war. Yet, it is appropriate to

assume that he was the wisest Roman emperor to ever sit on that throne. Caesar Marcus Aurelius

Augustus is his name (Aurelius, 2021).

Notably, to show his wisdom, Aurelius authored a series of 12 books that are today

known as "Meditations” (Long, 2019). The treasure of wisdom contained in this book is way

more valuable to the ordinary man than actual gold. I allude to this not as a metaphor but in the

deepest sense of the meaning. Importantly, Aurelius lived by the same principles he authored in

his musings. It is tough to have a pragmatic leader who lives by their word in contemporary

society. Yet, this same quality, coupled with his cool head in everyday dealings as an emperor, is

a marvel.

Moreover, one of Marcus' best quotes alludes to the idea that we should cease all the talk

about being good human beings and be one! In all honesty, today, there is too much talk. We are

prompted to talk everywhere, spanning social media status, offering customer feedback, and

expressing our goodness to others. The situation in Rome was the same, and people loved to talk

about how kind or generous, or empathetic they could be to their fellow men. Aurelius

admonished his citizens to act on their intentions instead of spelling them out (Robertson, 2019).

Such is a huge inspiration since it also pushes me to be better each day.

 3

Additionally, Marcus postulated that logic will not always make sense. Every single

occurrence in this globe happens for a valid reason, even if we never get to decipher it.

Interestingly, Aurelius was a victim of such happenings where he lost eight of his children and

his beloved wife. While he never made sense of the tragedy, he did not blame himself. Instead,

he said that human beings are meant to feel: angry, happy, sad, scared, confused, and many

emotions. However, the emotions should never cloud our windscreen; if anything, we should

take consolation in that all happenings occur as they should, both the happy moments and the

tragedies in equal measure (Rendall, 2021).

In conclusion, Marcus Aurelius had a rock-hard mental fortitude to bear all the tragedy

and leadership duties that befell him. His perseverance through the drama and his calm nature

through the storm is a real inspiration to me. Today, few people can handle even the slightest

inconveniences, such as a long queue. There is always someone tweeting their distaste of some

product they bought or bad weather. Others get angry at situations that are out of their control.

Individuals could avoid all this melee if they followed Aurelius' wisdom. To be calm in all

situations and to love each believing that they all happen for a reason.
 4

References

Aurelius, M. (2021). Meditations. United States: Prabhat Prakashan.

Long, G. (2019). The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. United States: Shambhala.

Robertson, D. J. (2019). How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus

Aurelius. United States: St. Martin's Publishing Group.

Rendall, G. H. 1. (2021). Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself: An English Translation With

Introductory Study on Stoicism and the Last of the Stoics. (n.p.): Creative Media

Partners, LLC.