The Book report episode 39: Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman – Marcus Aurelius: The Philosopher King
“Waste no more time talking about what a good man is like. Be one” -Marcus Aurelius
The first time I heard of Marcus Aurelius, I had no clue who he was. He was mentioned in the movie Gladiator. About eighteen years later, I picked up a book that had quotes of this man all over the place. The Daily Stoic, the authors are the same as this book. In this episode, I’m going to talk about probably the most famous stoic of all time.
In his books, Ryan Holiday quotes from Meditations, Marcus Aurelius personal journal not meant to be public, but in the chapter dedicated to Marcus Aurelius in Lives of the Stoics, it is clear that Holiday admires this man and how he lived.
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor who did not want to be king. In fact, when he heard the news that he had been adopted by Emperor Hadrian, Marcus was extremely saddened. He just wanted to study philosophy, but Hadrian wanted to make Marcus Aurelius the emperor of Rome. It’s kind of like today, when people talk about choosing a president or any politician, ‘if you don’t want the job, you’re the right fit for the job.’
At age nineteen he was well established in politics, and at age 40 in 161bc he became emperor of Rome. Marcus Aurelius lived through many hardships. His father died when he was only three years old and was raised by his grandparents. His wife Faustina had thirteen children, only five would survive. During his reign the Antonine Plague was going on, kind of like Covid but this one killed at least five million people in fifteen years. Not to mention all the wars he had to deal with.
What Ryan Holiday stresses is that Marcus was the most powerful man in Rome, he didn’t have to strive to be better, or even try to be a good person, he could do whatever he wanted. What made him strive to keep on studying and write in his dairy? What made him want to become better? It makes me wonder, if I was in his shoes, how would I act? If I could do anything I wanted, would I still read and try to improve myself? I would like to say yes, but if I was the emperor of Rome, I would probably more like Nero than Marcus Aurelius. Marcus had an adopted brother and when he became emperor, Marcus named his brother co-emperor. “The first thing Marcus Aurelius did with absolute power was voluntarily share half of it.” Another example of his character reminds me of when people criticized Ted Cruz for going to Cancun during the Texas freeze when a lot of people lost power. “When the Antonine Plague hit Rome, and the streets were littered with bodies and danger hung in the air, no one would have faulted him for fleeing the city. In fact, it might have been the more prudent course of action. Instead, Marcus stayed, braving it like the British royal family during the Blitz, never showing fear, reassuring the people by his very presence that he did not value his safety more than the responsibilities of his office.” When Rome was having financial problems one of Marcus’s biographers tells us “Marcus ‘took all the imperial ornaments to the Forum and sold them for gold. When the barbarian uprising had been put down, he returned the purchase price to those who voluntarily brought back the imperial possessions but used no compulsion in the case of those who were unwilling to do so.’ Even though as emperor he technically had unfettered control over Rome’s budget, he never acted as such.” This reminds me of Nancy Pelosi’s husband when he too was criticized for his great ‘luck’ in the stock market. Marcus never took advantage of his position as emperor, he was there for the people, for the right reasons. Never pointing the finger and blaming others for his hard life or the problems of Rome for that matter. Can you name one of our so called ‘leaders’ today that can say the same thing with a straight face?
Ryan Holiday does not claim that Marcus Aurelius was a perfect man. Holiday also has some criticisms of Marcus. “It cannot be said, for all his dignity and poise, that Marcus was a perfect ruler. No leader is, nor would Marcus have expected that he could be.” Holiday mentions the persecutions of the Christians under Marcus’s rule and criticizes him for not abolishing slavery. Lastly one big criticism of Holidays is when Marcus passed the thrown to his son, which Holiday mentions that the ruler in Gladiator was a pretty good description of his son. If you haven’t seen the movie, the son kills his father to get the thrown and rules Rome like a tyrant, always trying to sleep with his sister. Marcus Aurelius died of the disease that plagued Rome during his rule on March 17,180, he was 58 years old. Holiday writes that “he turned to his guard and said, ‘Go to the rising sun; I am already setting.’ Then he covered his head to go to sleep and never woke up.”
What impresses me the most is that Marcus Aurelius didn’t have to reflect, journal, or attempt to be a better person. He was the emperor of the most powerful country in the world. He didn’t even have to pretend to be good, he could do anything he wanted, and what he wanted was to be a good person. Nobody is perfect, but I think all we can do is try.