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April   19th

OUR SPHERE  OF  IMPULSES

“Epictetus  says    we  must    discover    the missing art of  assent  and pay special attention   to  the sphere

of  our impulses—that   they    are subject to  reservation,    to  the common  good,   and that    they    are in

proportion  to  actual  worth.”

—MARCUS AURELIUS,   MEDITATIONS,    11.37

ere we have the emperor, the most powerful man in the world, quoting in his diary the wisdom of a
former slave (and from what we know, Marcus might have had direct notes from Epictetus’s lectures
via one of his former students). That wisdom was ultimately about surrender and serving the common
good—about the limits of our power and the importance of checking our impulses—something every
person in authority needs to hear.
Power and powerlessness seem so rarely to enter the same orbit—but when they do it can change the
world. Think about President Abraham Lincoln meeting with, corresponding with, and learning from
Frederick Douglass, another former slave of considerable wisdom and insight.
In any case, all those men lived by the principles expressed here: that in our lives—whether we’re
experiencing great power or powerlessness—it’s critical to leave room for what may happen and keep
the common good and the actual worth of things front and center. And, above all, be willing to learn from
anyone and everyone, regardless of their station in life.