It should be Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (Gregory Hayes Translation is by far the most accessible)
Reading Meditations by Marcus Aurelius for just a few minutes each day is some of the most valuable time I spend all day. So much gold in there. And it’s nearly 2,000 years old.
So good, that Hannibal Lecter even references him during Silence of the Lambs, one of my favorite movies:
Some of my favorite passages:
- 11. What is this, fundamentally? What is its nature and substance, its reason for being? What is it doing in the world? How long is it here for?
- 19. Not to assume it’s impossible because you find it hard. But to recognize that if it’s humanly possible, you can do it too.
- 21. If anyone can refute me—show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective—I’ll gladly change. It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and ignorance.
- 48. When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on. Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind.
- 71. It’s silly to try to escape other people’s faults. They are inescapable. Just try to escape your own.
So many more. Message me on Facebook and I’ll send you all my notes.