Roman · 121–180
Marcus Aurelius governed the Roman Empire at its greatest territorial extent while practicing Stoic philosophy in private journals never meant for publication. The Meditations, written in Greek during military campaigns along the Danube frontier, record his attempts to apply Stoic principles to the pressures of imperial rule. He reminds himself of human mortality, the insignificance of fame, the importance of duty, and the need to accept what cannot be changed. The last of the Five Good Emperors, he spent most of his reign at war, yet his private reflections became one of the most influential works of practical philosophy, read by everyone from Frederick the Great to Bill Clinton.