Yo, check it – Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, the OG Roman Emperor, was born on April 26, 121 AD. His fam was all about that royal lineage, tracing back to Numa, one of the first kings of Rome. But even though his ‘rents kicked the bucket when he was young, he still kept them close to his heart. His grandad, the big-time consul Annius Verus, raised him to be a real chill, low-key dude. And the Emperor Hadrian himself saw that Marcus was HIM and hooked him up with that equestrian rank when he was six. And by eight, he was made a member of the ancient Salian priesthood.

So get this – Marcus’ aunt, Annia Galeria Faustina, was married to this dude Antoninus Pius, who ended up becoming emperor. That’s how Marcus got hooked up – Antoninus had no son, so he adopted Marcus and even had him betrothed to his own daughter, Faustina.

The kid was straight-up blessed when it came to his education too. They got the best teachers money could buy and had him on that strict Stoic philosophy grind. Dude was all about living simply and keeping it real, none of that soft, luxurious stuff. They even had him doing hardcore training, like wrestling and hunting – even though he was a little sickly, he still showed mad courage going up against the gnarliest boars.

At the same time, they kept him away from all the crazy antics going on in Rome back then. The big craze was this faction stuff in the circus, where people would go wild supporting their favorite racing teams and their different colors. Total mayhem, with riots and all kinds of shady business going down. But Marcus, he steered clear of that nonsense, staying true to his principles.

In 140 AD, Marcus was straight-up killin’ it as consul. He got hitched to Faustina a few years later and they had a kid before long. The dude was raking in all kinds of imperial honors after that. Then in 161 AD, Antoninus Pius kicked the bucket and Marcus became the emperor, teaming up with L. Ceionius Commodus as his co-ruler. But they had to deal with some wild stuff right off the bat – Vologeses III of Parthia was wildin’ out, taking down a whole Roman legion and invading Syria in 162 AD. Verus got sent to handle that mess, but he ended up just partying instead of fighting. Meanwhile, Marcus had to face an even bigger threat from some hardcore barbarian tribes up north. Things were rough back in Rome too, with food shortages and a nasty plague brought back by Verus’s troops. But Marcus stepped up, selling the imperial bling to help feed the people. Then the dude went to war himself, crushing those barbarian tribes. Verus ended up kicking the bucket in 169 AD, but Marcus was the real commander-in-chief and he pulled off the win thanks to his skills and his smart choice of lieutenants, especially this dude named Pertinax. There were some epic battles, and one of them even had this legendary “Thundering Legion” thing going on – a wild storm supposedly helped the Romans out against the Quadi. Crazy stuff, right?

Yo, so after Marcus had to deal with all that wild drama, things were about to get even crazier. This dude Avidius Cassius, who was a total boss on the battlefield during the Parthian wars, was running the eastern provinces at the time. Somehow, Cassius got it in his head that he should just crown himself emperor the moment Marcus kicked the bucket, since the OG was already looking a little sickly.

So when word spread that Marcus had passed away, Cassius went ahead and made his move, declaring himself the new top dog. But when Marcus caught wind of this betrayal, he was like “oh hell nah!” He immediately made peace with whoever he was beefing with and booked it back to Rome to shut down this coup attempt.

Marcus was super bummed that he had to go to war against one of his own dudes, but he wasn’t about to let Cassius just snatch the throne. He even gave Cassius mad props, saying he was a skilled guy and that he hoped Cassius wouldn’t do anything rash before Marcus could pardon him. But before Marcus could even make it to the east, Cassius realized the OG emperor was still kicking and all his supporters dipped. Cassius ended up getting murked by his own crew.

When Marcus finally arrived, some of Cassius’ killers brought the dude’s head as a grisly trophy, but Marcus was disgusted and refused to even look at it. Cold. Meanwhile, during all this chaos, Marcus’ wife Faustina passed away, which had to be a huge emotional blow on top of everything else.

After celebrating a triumphant return to Rome, Marcus headed back out to Germany to handle more barbarian invasions. He got the job done, but all the stress and battles had taken a massive toll on his health, which was never great to begin with. The dude ended up dying in 180 AD in the province of Pannonia.

On top of all the political turmoil, Marcus had to deal with some heavy personal tragedies too. Faustina had given birth to several kids that Marcus adored, but one by one they all passed away until only the future emperor Commodus was left. And we all know how that dude turned out – a total waste who undid all of Marcus’ hard work with his garbage leadership.

There were even rumors that Faustina had been unfaithful and conspired with Cassius against Marcus, but those were clearly just lies. Marcus loved his wife and never doubted her loyalty for a second. The dude had been through enough without having to question the one person closest to him.

Bruh, Marcus was a straight-up beast on the battlefield – dude knew how to get the job done and came out victorious. But he wasn’t just a one-trick pony, nah. When it came to running the show, Marcus was all about keeping it real and doing what needed to be done. He didn’t try to reinvent the wheel or anything, just followed the path laid out by his predecessors and did his duty to the fullest.

Sure, he made some questionable moves here and there, like making Verus his co-emperor – that was a risky play that could’ve gone sideways real quick. And he may have centralized things a bit too much with the civil administration. But where Marcus really shined was in serving up that sweet, sweet justice.

Dude was all about protecting the little guys, making life easier for the slaves, and being a father figure to those without pops. He even set up charities to raise and educate poor kids, talk about a real one! The provinces were safe from oppression under his watch, and if any city or region got hit by some crazy disaster, Marcus was there with the public aid. Dude had their backs, no cap.

Bruh, the real stain on Marcus’ rep though, and it’s a tough one to justify, was how he treated the Christians during his reign. Dudes like Justin in Rome and Polycarp in Smyrna got straight-up martyred for their faith, and we know there were mad other outbreaks of fanatic persecution in the provinces that took out hella faithful peeps. It’s no excuse to say Marcus didn’t know about the atrocities going down in his name – as the emperor, it was his job to know what was happening, and if he didn’t, he’d have been the first to admit he dropped the ball on that duty. From his own words about the Christians, it’s clear he only knew them through some whack rumors and didn’t bother to make sure they got a fair shake.

As for the Stoic philosopher Chrysippus, it was said of him that…

“But for Chrysippus¹, there had been no Porch.”

The Stoics were all about that deep thinking, but they weren’t just philosophizing for the fun of it. Nah, for them, all that mental gymnastics was a means to an end, feel me? And that end, as the OG Zeno put it, was to live consistently – or as they later broke it down, to live in harmony with nature. That whole “conforming your life to nature” thing was their idea of true virtue.

But don’t get it twisted, they weren’t saying you should just give in to every urge and impulse. That’s not what they meant at all. To really live in sync with nature, they knew you had to first understand what nature’s deal was, ya dig? So they split philosophy into three parts: Physics, to study the universe and its laws, the bigger questions about divine order and purpose; Logic, to train your mind to separate facts from BS; and Ethics, to apply all that knowledge to how you actually live your life. Real deep stuff, but they were trying to make it practical too.

Yo, the Stoics had this wild idea that the whole material world was the real deal, but there was also this spiritual force flowing through it all, keeping everything in check. They saw the universe itself as this divine being, with all the different gods just being different sides of that overarching cosmic force. And get this – they thought the human soul was like a little piece of that divine principle that ruled over everything, an emanation from that universal life force. So in their view, the goal was for virtue to guide and control the individual, just like divine Providence guided the workings of the entire universe. Deep stuff, right?

The Stoics had this wild idea that the whole material world was the real deal, but there was also this spiritual force flowing through it all, keeping everything in check. They saw the universe itself as this divine being, with all the different gods just being different sides of that overarching cosmic force. And get this – they thought the human soul was like a little piece of that divine principle that ruled over everything, an emanation from that universal life force. So in their view, the goal was for virtue to guide and control the individual, just like divine Providence guided the workings of the entire universe.

Yo, when it came to logic, the Stoics had this wild take, right? They were like, the human mind starts out as a blank slate, just waiting to get written on by all the crazy sensory input hitting it. From all those sense impressions, the mind would gradually build up some general concepts and start anticipating stuff.

And get this – the Stoics thought that when an impression was just undeniable, like you couldn’t help but accept it as legit, that was what they called a “kataleptic phantasia” – basically, a perception that had to be true. As for things outside of virtue and vice, like health, money, and all that, the Stoics saw those as just the playing field where virtue could get its game on.

They made this key distinction between the stuff in our control, like desires and opinions, and the stuff that wasn’t up to us, like fame and riches. The whole goal was to bring your entire existence under the rule of your will, just like how the universe followed the divine plan. Some pretty intense conclusions came out of all that, but you gotta admit, the Stoics were onto something deep with their logic game.

Yo, there were two major things the Stoics were all about, feel me? First off, they made this crucial distinction between the stuff you can control, like your desires and mindset, and the things that are out of your hands, like health or wealth. The Stoics were like, “Bruh, focus on governing your inner game and just accept the external circumstances for what they are.”

Secondly, these dudes had this deep sense of the universe being one interconnected whole, and they saw humans as having a duty to be part of that greater cosmic vibe. It was like a lofty, worldwide spiritual brotherhood kinda thing. Pretty wild for the ancient world, but you can see how some of those ideas later got picked up by Christian thinkers too.

Yo, so the Stoic philosophy that Marcus Aurelius was all about wasn’t just some dry, academic stuff, feel me? Nah, it was more like a whole vibe, a way of living that helped the dude keep it real and stay centered through all the crazy ups and downs of being an emperor and dealing with grown-up responsibilities.

Sure, the Stoics had their theories and whatnot, but for Marcus, it was more about that spiritual feeling, you know? He wasn’t trying to lay down some rigid doctrine or anything. His philosophy was more about finding that inner peace and using it to handle all the annoying little things that come with being a grown-up and having to actually adult.

The dude took the Stoic teachings and made them his own, softening that harsh, overly serious vibe that the OGs like Zeno and Chrysippus had. Instead of just resigning himself to endure life, Marcus was more about aspiring to be better, to really live those principles. His Meditations weren’t some formal treatise, nah – it was just the dude’s innermost thoughts and musings, jotted down to help him stay grounded and bear the weight of all his duties and responsibilities without losing his cool.

Let’s break it down – Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations and Thomas à Kempis’ Imitation of Christ were both dropping some deep wisdom, but they had totally different vibes, feel me? The Imitation was all about that hardcore Christian life – being humble, leaning on God’s grace, and embracing suffering like it was your bestie. Dude was straight-up telling readers to get down with sorrow and mortify their flesh to purify their souls. Lots of self-loathing and needing divine judgment to keep you on the straight and narrow.

But Marcus? Nah, he had a more chill, stoic mentality. Dude was hard on himself for sure, but without that whole self-hate thing the Christian ascetics were rocking. He wasn’t looking for divine intervention or judgment, just trying to align his own willpower with the natural order of the universe. The OG Roman emperor had this modest confidence, not about abasing himself before a higher power but about doing his own thing in harmony with the cosmos.

Where the Christian text was hyping up the virtue of suffering, Marcus’ vibe was more about accepting life’s annoyances with serenity. He didn’t glorify sadness, but focused on cultivating an inner peace amidst his duties and “countless vexations of a busy life.” Less about torturing himself, more about being considerate to others even when they were being disrespectful. Two totally different spiritual temperaments, ya dig?

Yo, the Imitation of Christ was all about that hardcore Christian vibe, feel me? Dude was hyping up being straight-up humble, leaning hard on God’s grace, and embracing suffering like it was your bestie. Homie was telling readers to get down with sorrow and mortify their flesh to purify their souls, ya dig? Lots of self-loathing and needing divine judgment to keep you on the straight and narrow, no cap.

Marcus was on some whole other vibe though, feel me? Dude wasn’t about that self-loathing, begging for God’s grace type of deal. Nah, he was all about looking inward and trusting his own reason to align himself with the natural order, ya dig? The OG Roman emperor had this modest confidence, not about abasing himself before some higher power, but about doing his own thing in harmony with the cosmos. He wasn’t trying to get judged by no divine force, just tryna sync his willpower up with the universal flow, ya feel me?

Where the Christian text emphasizes the virtue of suffering, Marcus’ Meditations reflect a more serene acceptance of life’s burdens and annoyances. Dude didn’t romanticize sorrow, but focused on cultivating an inner peace amidst his duties and “countless vexations of a busy life.” His philosophy was less about mortifying the flesh than maintaining an unwavering courtesy and consideration for others, even when they were being disrespectful.

At the end of the day, the Imitation of Christ and Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations were coming from totally different spiritual vibes, feel me? The Christian text was all about that longing to transcend this world and get your soul right with the big G-O-D upstairs. But Marcus? Nah, dude was on some more down-to-earth, immanent type flow – just tryna sync his willpower up with the natural order of the universe, ya dig? Both works dropped some profound wisdom about the human experience, but they were coming from mad different metaphysical and theological angles, no cap.

Yo, but the real vibe that makes the Meditations so fire is how raw and real Marcus keeps it, feel me? Dude ain’t putting on no front or trying to preach at you, nah. He’s just spilling his unfiltered thoughts and moods, no cap. Marcus ain’t exaggerating or playing to an audience, he’s just being 100.

And let me tell you, the dude had a straight-up lofty, serene soul, ya dig? Vulgar vices and temptations weren’t even on his radar, fam. His flaws were more like minor oversights that most people wouldn’t even trip about. But the OG was all about that unwavering courtesy and consideration, feel me? Even when folks were disrespecting him, he’d just pity them instead of getting heated, and try to correct them with tact and gentleness.

You can tell from all the hints that Marcus was quick to forgive offenses, probably jotting down these notes right after some drama went down, just to remind himself to stay centered and live by his principles. And he walked the walk too, like with how he handled that whole Avidius Cassius betrayal – dude believed that for every fault in others, Nature had a counteracting virtue to balance it out. Real deep stuff, no cap.

This dude Marcus was mad chill, feel me? Like, even when fools were trying to start beef with him, he’d just stay gracious and keep his composure, ya dig? Homie was all about that compassionate vibe, never holding grudges or assuming the worst about people. His pages are filled with nothing but appreciation for everyone who helped shape him into the real one he became.

In his First Book, Marcus gave props to all the OGs who put him on game – his grandad for that gentle spirit, his pops for that courage and humility, his mom for that spiritual grounding and generosity. Even his teachers like Rusticus and Apollonius got their flowers for real – Rusticus kept it a hunnid and showed Marcus where he needed to level up, while Apollonius schooled him on that simple, grateful lifestyle and what true freedom really means.

Dude was just straight-up grateful for everyone who crossed his path, no cap. It’s clear that no matter who he dealt with, Marcus always found something positive to take from the experience. Just goes to show how pure his soul was, never letting any negative vibes cloud his vision or judgment of others, ya feel me? Bro was all love, through and through.

Yo, check it – if Marcus was really rocking that pure, honest heart that Christians are always hyping up, that’s even more impressive since dude didn’t have that faith to keep him going strong, ya dig? Homie was like, “Either there’s a higher power running things and it’s all gravy, or if it’s just random chance, I’ll use my own common sense to handle my business. Word.” Or he’d be like, “We gotta admit there’s some natural force governing the universe, feel me?”

But for real, Marcus saw his own role as just a tiny part of the bigger picture, so he wasn’t sweating any personal happiness beyond just keeping his soul serene in this mortal life. Dude was like, “Yo soul, I trust there’ll be a time when you’re good, simple, and more real than this physical body holding you down.” But he wasn’t talking about some afterlife where he’d be free from his bodily chains, nah. Homie just wanted to be at peace with his human existence, ya feel?

For Marcus, all that fame, wealth, and worldly stuff was straight-up vanity, no cap. Maybe the gods had his back, but their real focus was on the whole universe, not just looking out for him specifically. That was enough for the OG emperor. His gods were a step up from those old Stoic gods who didn’t give a single fuck about human affairs, but Marcus still wasn’t holding his breath for some divine intervention or anything.

Dude didn’t dwell too much on that personal hope tip, though there were nods to death just being the natural end. He probably figured his soul would just get absorbed back into the universal soul eventually, since nothing comes from nothing and nothing can be destroyed, ya dig? Marcus had that weary warrior vibe, just doing his duty as a good soldier and waiting for that trumpet to finally sound the retreat. He didn’t have that cheerful confidence that Socrates had, leading a noble life and facing death without fear, ready to kick it with the gods and great men he admired, ya feel?

Yo, real talk – Marcus Aurelius wasn’t out here dropping some groundbreaking philosophical bombs or anything. But you gotta give the dude props for keeping it 100 with himself, feel me? Homie knew that whatever was really going on in his heart would eventually come out through his actions, so he made sure to drill the right mindset and principles into his soul. That way, when life started wildin’ out and throwing curveballs, he’d be mentally prepared to handle that mess with grace, ya dig? Dude wasn’t just going through the motions with all that spiritual stuff – he had a legit understanding that true happiness ain’t about chasing cheap thrills. Nah, it’s about cultivating the proper state of mind and doing the right thing, even when it ain’t easy. For a powerful emperor rolling in riches, Marcus stayed mad humble and focused on finding joy in the simple things. Gotta respect an OG who can keep his head straight through all that chaos and still prioritize what really matters, no cap.

Marcus was no chump, feel me? He saw right through that whole “do the rituals and the gods will be happy” schtick that a lot of ancient religions were all about. Nah, he knew it was all about the intent behind it, not just going through the motions, ya dig? And homie had a solid grasp on what true happiness really is – it ain’t about chasing cheap thrills or pleasures. Nah, true happiness comes from having the right mindset and doing the right things, even when it ain’t easy or popular. Dude was woke to the game, no cap.

Yo, even though this dude was the freaking Roman Emperor, with all the pomp and power that came with that, he still managed to stay grounded and focus on the simple, quiet joys in life. Gotta respect that, especially when you consider the crazy stuff he had to deal with as the boss of the Roman Empire. Leading armies, fending off barbarian hordes, all while trying to keep his head on straight – that’s no easy feat, no cap.

Marcus was woke to game, feel me? Dude knew that true happiness ain’t about chasing cheap thrills and pleasures, nah. Even though he was the freaking Roman Emperor with mad riches and power, he understood that real fulfillment comes from having the right mindset and doing the right thing, ya dig? Like he said, “If happiness was just about pleasure, how come those grimey robbers, nasty pervs, and ruthless tyrants were getting their share of thrills?” Nah, for the OG, a truly happy life was all about “having a dope soul with good desires and doing good deeds.” Dude was wise beyond his years, keeping it real while everyone else was getting caught up in the vanity, no cap.

It’s kind of ironic when you think about it – this guy Marcus Aurelius, he was such a gentle and good-natured dude, all he really wanted was some peace and quiet to just live his life. But fate had other plans for him. Somehow, he ended up being the head honcho of the Roman Empire at a time when all kinds of crazy stuff was going down – threats from the east and west, barbarian hordes on the move, the whole nine yards.

Yo, it’s kind of ironic when you think about it – this guy Marcus Aurelius, he was such a gentle and good-natured dude, all he really wanted was some peace and quiet to just live his life, ya dig? But fate had other plans for him. Somehow, he ended up being the head honcho of the Roman Empire at a time when all kinds of crazy stuff was going down – threats from the east and west, barbarian hordes on the move, the whole nine yards.

So instead of kicking back and enjoying the quiet joys of life, poor Marcus found himself leading armies and dealing with all the pomp and circumstance that came with being the big boss, feel me? Not exactly his idea of a good time, but the guy was dedicated to his duty and he did what needed to be done. His wars may have been slow and tedious, but he got the job done and even managed to set up a settlement that gave the Roman Empire a couple centuries of breathing room.

Dude even had this plan to push the imperial borders all the way to the Elbe River², which could have been a real game-changer, no cap. But alas, death came knocking before he could see that through. Guess you could say he was dealt a pretty ironic hand – a peaceful warrior, a magnificent monarch who just wanted to live a simple life, but ended up having to shoulder all the burdens of leading this massive empire. Not the easiest gig, that’s for sure. But through it all, he kept his cool and did what he felt was right, ya dig? Gotta respect that.

Truly a rare opportunity was given to Marcus Aurelius of showing what the mind can do in spite of circumstances, feel me? Most peaceful of warriors, a magnificent monarch whose ideal was quiet happiness in home life, bent to obscurity yet born to greatness, the loving father of children who died young or turned out hateful, his life was one paradox, no cap. That nothing might lack, it was in camp before the face of the enemy that he passed away and went to his own place, ya feel?

Yo, Marcus Aurelius was one real dude, feel me? Homie got dealt a wild hand – all he wanted was to kick it and find that inner peace, but the universe was like “Nah fam, you’re running the whole Roman Empire now!” Talk about a plot twist, no cap.

Dude was the chillest warrior you ever seen, a straight-up magnificent monarch whose vibe was just cozy happiness at the crib. But instead of fading into obscurity, fate made him greatness personified. Imagine being a loving dad, only for your kids to either dip out early or turn into some hateful little gremlins? Bro’s life was one big paradox after another.

But you know what’s really crazy? Dude handled it all with grace. He was out there leading the troops, staring down the enemy’s ugly mugs, and that’s where he finally peaced out and joined the ancestors. Marcus got dealt a wild card, but he played that hand like a real one till the very end. Gotta respect an OG who can roll with the punches like that, no cap.

The following are a list of English translations of Meditations:

• The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, translated by Francis Hutcheson and James Moor (1742)
• The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated by Jeremy Collier (1701)
• The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, translated by George Long (1862)
• Meditations, translated by Maxwell Staniforth (1964)
• The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated by Pierre Hadot (1998)
• The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated by Gregory Hays (2002)
• Marcus Aurelius Meditations: A New Translation, translated by Gregory Hays (2021)
• Marcus Aurelius – Meditations: Adapted for the Contemporary Reader, translated by James Harris (2021)
• Meditations: The Annotated Edition, translated by Robin Waterfield (2021)