Ancient Rome - AD 161-180 Marcus Aurelius AE Sestertius NGC XF

Marcus Aurelius AE Sesterius. NGC XF. NGC Strike: 5/5, Surface: 3/5. 27.02g. Obverse: AVRELIVS CAES-AR AVG P II FIL Laureate head of Aurelius to right with aegis. Reverse: TR-PX-VIII-IMP-II-COS-II, S-C Minerva standing, facing left, holding olive branch in right hand, balancing shield with left hand and spear leaning against her left arm. Superior strike and dramatic green patina on both sides.

Title page of an 1811 edition of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, translated by R. Graves. Photo: Wikimedia Commons.

Quotations from Meditations by Marcus Aurelius:

Put an end once for all to this discussion of what a good man should be, and be one.

Be like a rocky promontory against which the restless surf continually pounds; it stands fast while the churning sea is lulled to sleep at its feet. I hear you say, "How unlucky that this should happen to me!" Not at all! Say instead, "How lucky that I am not broken by what has happened and am not afraid of what is about to happen. The same blow might have struck anyone, but not many would have absorbed it without capitulation or complaint."

If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now.

Not to feel exasperated or defeated or despondent because your days aren't packed with wise and moral actions. But to get back up when you fail, to celebrate behaving like a human—however imperfectly—and fully embrace the pursuit you've embarked on.