Marcus Had A Dream | The Most Life Changing Marcus Aurelius Quotes

It was last night 1,862 years ago that Marcus Aurelius had a dream. A few years earlier, when Marcus received the news of Hadrian’s plans to have Antoninus Pius adopt him and place him next in line for the throne, he broke down in tears. There was no one he revered more than Antoninus. How could he possibly live up to the task of following in his footsteps? Today, you would say that Marcus was struggling with what we call “imposter syndrome.” As the story goes, the night before he was to become emperor on March 7, 161 AD — Marcus had a dream.---To commemorate this dream and the man himself, Ryan presents 45 of his favorite life-changing quotes from Marcus Aurelius.📕 Visit dailystoic.com/leather to pick up your own copy of the Premium Leather Edition of The Daily Stoic.✉️ Sign up for the Daily Stoic email: https://dailystoic.com/dailyemail🏛 Check out the Daily Stoic Store for Stoic inspired products, signed books (including The Boy Who Would be King), and more.📱 Follow us: Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok, FacebookSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

Speaker names marked ? are inferred from speaking time and the show’s known hosts — they are not voice-verified.

• 0:02Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we read a passage of ancient wisdom designed to help you in your everyday life. On Tuesdays, we take a closer look at these Stoic ideas, how we can apply them in our actual lives. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy.

• 0:26Ryan Holiday?

  Marcus had a dream. It was last night, 1862 years ago, that Marcus Aurelius had a dream. A few years earlier, when Marcus received the news of Hadrian's plans to have Antoninus Pius adopt him and place him next in line for the throne, he broke down in tears. There was no one he revered more than Antoninus. How could he possibly live up to the task of following in his footsteps? Today, we would say that Marcus was struggling with impostor syndrome. And as the story goes, the night before he was to become emperor on March 7, 161 A.D., Marcus had a dream. In the dream, Marcus found that his shoulders

• 1:07Ryan Holiday?

  were made of ivory. It was a sign. He was not an impostor. He was not weak. He could do it. And then guess what? He did it. He had stronger shoulders than he thought. Stoicism had stiffened his spine and upper body. Well, the same is true for you. Your shoulders are made of ivory also. That is not to say that things won't be hard, but you have stronger shoulders than you know. You have Stoicism to help you carry the load. Today, here on the anniversary of Marcus's ascension, celebrate by reminding yourself of what Marcus kept reminding himself. Not to assume it's impossible because you find it hard, but to recognize

• 1:49Ryan Holiday?

  that if it's humanly possible, you can do it too. Whatever it is, yes, you can do it too. You don't need to dream about it. You are not an impostor. Your shoulders are made of ivory. Look, when Marcus ascends to this throne in 161, he has no idea what's in store for him. But throughout his reign, he endures wars and a horrific plague, even the death of his children. But he kept his journal with him, and that journal provided the gentle reminders he needed to persevere through life's many challenges. And as you know, miraculously, this survives. And 2,000 years later, Meditations continues to provide a profound prescription for wisdom and justice and discipline and courage.

• 2:30Ryan Holiday?

  And if you want to read it, we have this amazing leather edition set to stand the test of time, to stick with you through thick and thin. It's the translation that I first read many years ago, and now this special edition sits on my nightstand and on my desk, and I just love it so much. You can check it out at dailystoic.com/leather, and I think you'll really, really like it. And this story of the shoulders, Marcus and his shoulders, is also told in The Boy Who Would Be King. If you want to tell the story of Marcus Aurelius to your children, I wrote it for my two young sons, and, you know, they roll their eyes now when they hear Marcus's name, but I think the message is getting across, and I think it'll work for your kids, too. You can check that out at dailystoic.com/king.

• 3:22Speaker 01

  Marcus Aurelius.

• 3:26Speaker 01

  Concentrate every minute on doing what's in front of you.

• 3:33Speaker 01

  You don't have to turn this into something. It doesn't have to upset you.

• 3:41Speaker 01

  The present is all we have to live in or to lose.

• 3:49Speaker 01

  Stop whatever you're doing for a moment and ask yourself, "Am I afraid of death because I won't be able to do this anymore?"

• 4:02Speaker 01

  Let each thing you would do, say, or intend be like that of a dying person.

• 4:12Speaker 01

  The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.

• 4:23Speaker 01

  Today, I escaped anxiety. Or no, I discarded it because it was within me, in my own perceptions, not outside.

• 4:39Speaker 01

  You have to assemble your life yourself, action by action.

• 4:47Speaker 01

  The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.

• 4:58Speaker 01

  The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.

• 5:04Speaker 01

  You can also commit injustice by doing nothing.

• 5:11Speaker 01

  Receive without pride, let go without attachment.

• 5:19Speaker 01

  If it's endurable, then endure it, stop complaining.

• 5:28Speaker 01

  Have I done something for the common good, then I share in the benefits.

• 5:36Speaker 01

  It never ceases to amaze me. We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.

• 5:49Speaker 01

  It's unfortunate that this has happened. No, it's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed.

• 6:02Speaker 01

  If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.

• 6:13Speaker 01

  You always own the option of having no opinion.

• 6:20Speaker 01

  Ask yourself at every moment, is this necessary?

• 6:28Speaker 01

  If something is humanly possible, it's attainable by you too.

• 6:36Speaker 01

  Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly.

• 6:47Speaker 01

  Someone despises me, that's their problem.

• 6:54Speaker 01

  Everything is born from change.

• 7:00Speaker 01

  You have power over your mind, not outside events.

• 7:08Speaker 01

  When jarred unavoidably by circumstance, revert at once to yourself and don't lose the rhythm more than you can help.

• 7:21Speaker 01

  You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do, say, and think.

• 7:32Speaker 01

  Our life is what our thoughts make it.

• 7:38Speaker 01

  If you don't have a consistent goal in life, you can't live it in a consistent way.

• 7:48Speaker 01

  Get back up when you fail. Celebrate behaving like a human.

• 7:56Speaker 01

  Limit yourself to the present.

• 8:02Speaker 01

  The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say, or think, or do, only what you do.

• 8:14Speaker 01

  Don't you see how much you have to offer? And yet, you still settle for less.

• 8:23Speaker 01

  Mastery of reading and writing requires a master.

• 8:31Speaker 01

  The struggle is great, the task divine, to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility.

• 8:43Speaker 01

  Do not let others hold you back.

• 8:49Speaker 01

  A blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it.

• 8:58Speaker 01

  To love only what happens, no greater harmony.

• 9:06Speaker 01

  If it's humanly possible, you can do it too.

• 9:13Speaker 01

  Choose not to be harmed, and you won't feel harmed. Don't feel harmed, and you haven't been.

• 9:24Speaker 01

  Don't procrastinate, don't confuse, don't wander, don't be passive or aggressive, don't be all about business.

• 9:38Speaker 01

  Love the hand that fate deals you, and play it as your own.

• 9:46Speaker 01

  Practice even what seems impossible.

• 9:52Speaker 01

  There is never any need to get worked up about things you can't control.

• 10:01Speaker 01

  People exist for one another.

• 10:06Speaker 01

  The nearer a man comes to a calm mind, the closer he is to strength.