Author in Qalma
Marcus Aurelius
121–180 AD
Biography
Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire for nearly two decades and spent much of that time on the northern frontier, conducting wars he had not chosen. He wrote the Meditations in Greek, in camp, for himself, with no intention of publishing them. They are notes to a man who kept needing to be reminded of what he already knew. Trained in Stoic philosophy from childhood, his core conviction was that events are neither good nor bad in themselves, only our judgments about them are. The Meditations survive as one of the most honest records we have of a person trying to live by their own principles under pressure.
Why Marcus Aurelius belongs in Qalma
Marcus Aurelius belongs in Qalma because the Meditations were, in effect, a private daily practice, a person writing to steady himself. Qalma is built for that same quiet, unwitnessed kind of reflection.
“You have power over your mind, not outside events. Understand this and you will find strength.”
Marcus Aurelius · Meditations · 2nd Century
A reflection
He was reminding himself, again, of something he kept forgetting under pressure: the weather, the traffic, the sharp email are not yours to control, your response is. Next time something goes sideways today, pause before you react. That small gap, between the event and your answer to it, is where your power actually lives.
Source: Meditations (Ta Eis Heauton), written c. 161–180 AD, published posthumously.
Marcus Aurelius is one of the voices behind Qalma's daily reflection app. Explore the daily reflection app, or return to the home page.
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