Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121–180 AD) was Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD and the last of the Five Good Emperors. A practitioner of Stoic philosophy, he is best known for his private journal, the Meditations — a series of personal reflections on virtue, duty, and the nature of existence written during military campaigns. Never intended for publication, the Meditations became one of the most influential works of philosophy in Western history and remains the definitive text of Stoic thought in practice.