happens. Make sure you remain straightforward, upright,
reverent, serious, unadorned, an ally of justice, pious, kind,
affectionate, and doing your duty with a will. Fight to be the
person philosophy tried to make you.
Revere the gods; watch over human beings. Our lives are
short. The only rewards of our existence here are an
unstained character and unselfish acts.
Take Antoninus as your model, always. His energy in
doing what was rational... his steadiness in any situation..
. his sense of reverence... his calm expression... his
gentleness... his modesty... his eagerness to grasp things.
And how he never let things go before he was sure he had
examined them thoroughly, understood them perfectly... the
way he put up with unfair criticism, without returning it...
how he couldn’t be hurried... how he wouldn’t listen to
informers... how reliable he was as a judge of character,
and of actions... not prone to backbiting, or cowardice, or
jealousy, or empty rhetoric... content with the basics—in
living quarters, bedding, clothes, food, servants... how hard
he worked, how much he put up with... his ability to work
straight through till dusk—because of his simple diet (he
didn’t even need to relieve himself, except at set times)...
his constancy and reliability as a friend... his tolerance of
people who openly questioned his views and his delight at
seeing his ideas improved on... his piety—without a trace
of superstition...