Marcus Aurelius on dealing with people who behave badly. From Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, about 175 AD.
In 161, Marcus Aurelius and his co-emperor Lucius Verus took power in Rome. Soon a comic playwright named Marullus was mocking them in his plays.
He went unpunished. People in Rome liked how little pomp their new rulers showed.
Marcus would spend the next nineteen years meeting people far harder to bear than a playwright.
In 161, when a playwright mocked the new emperors, Marcus Aurelius let him be. Later his notebook told him that when shameless behavior offends you, ask whether a world without shameless people is possible. It is not, so do not demand it. Ask what strength answers it, such as mildness, and expect no thanks for kindness.
Don’t ask why people like this exist; ask what this one calls for from you. Practical advice: before you react to rudeness, name your best response, then give only that.
Well established · checked against 3 sourcesName your one best response before you react the next time someone is rude.
“A coworker keeps taking credit for my work. How do I deal with it without turning bitter?”
Expect the Shameless and the other 11 ideas of Meditations, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.
