I

April 4th

DON’T LET THIS GO TO YOUR HEAD

“Make sure you’re not made ‘Emperor,’ avoid that imperial stain. It

can happen to you, so keep yourself simple, good, pure, saintly,

plain, a friend of justice, god-fearing, gracious, affectionate, and

strong for your proper work. Fight to remain the person that

philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, and look after

each other. Life is short—the fruit of this life is a good character

and acts for the common good.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.30

t is difficult even to conceive of what life must have been like for Marcus
Aurelius—he wasn’t born emperor, nor did he obtain the position
deliberately. It was simply thrust upon him. Nevertheless, he was suddenly
the richest man in the world, head of the most powerful army on earth,
ruling over the largest empire in history, considered a god among men.
It’s no wonder he wrote little messages like this one to remind himself
not to spin off the planet. Without them, he might have lost his sense of
what was important—falling prey to the lies from all the people who
needed things from him. And here we are, whatever we happen to be doing,
at risk of spinning off ourselves.
When we experience success, we must make sure that it doesn’t change
us—that we continue to maintain our character despite the temptation not
to. Reason must lead the way no matter what good fortune comes along.