Marcus Aurelius on Dealing with Other People
"When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: today I shall meet with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness." — Marcus Aurelius preps himself for another day as emperor, and it hits like a checklist of every bad meeting ever.
Marcus Aurelius on Dealing with Other People, public domain
The emperor’s morning mantra.
Marcus Aurelius, in Meditations (Book II, 1), writes: «Ἐπὶ πᾶν τὸ πρωί, ἑαυτόν παρασκεύαζε λέγων, Σήμερον ἀπαντήσομαι περιπαιγμονίᾳ, ἀχαριστίᾳ, ὕβρει, δολιότητι, ἀπιστίᾳ, μισοπονηρίᾳ, ἀνθρώποις φιλαυτοῦσι.» — "When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: today I shall meet with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness."
Why he started his day like this.
Marcus wasn’t wallowing in negativity. He wanted armor, not illusions. By expecting the worst from those around him, he could respond with patience, not shock or outrage. It’s the Stoic version of 'brace for impact.'
The world’s loneliest job.
Marcus Aurelius ruled during plague, war, and betrayal. His only comfort was a wax tablet under lamplight, scribbling reminders for himself. He practiced philosophy not in peace, but on the battlefield—and in the palace, where kindness was rarer than gold.
Marcus didn’t want to be surprised by disappointment. If you expect frustration, you can prepare for it—and maybe even dodge some of it. He wrote this, not from a place of bitterness, but of tough realism.
