30+ Marcus Aurelius Stoicism Book Background. Roman emperor marcus aurelius practiced stoicism, and author and psychotherapist donald robertson notes a growing interest in the mic listen to the podcast: The physical frailty of roman emperor marcus aurelius was notorious, and of great concern to his subjec.
Like its great ancient competitor many stoic texts prescribe practical exercises to reshape how a person responds to adversity and prosperity, insults, illness, old age, and mortality.
With hindsight marcus' greatest omission was that he did not impose stoicism as the imperial religion, with as much rigour as theodosius later. Includes discussion of key passages for understanding the aims of the meditations as a whole. His real name was m, annius verus, and he was sprung of a noble family that claimed descent from numa on the very first page of his book, marcus gratefully declares how of his grandfather he had learned to be gentle and meek and to refrain from all. Marcus aurelius says but cast away the thirst after books, that thou mayest not die murmuring, but cheerfully, truly, and from thy heart thankful to the gods in the end of the third paragraph of his meditations.
