The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places; but still there is much that is fair, and though in all lands love is now mingled with grief, it grows perhaps the greater.

Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire during one of its most turbulent periods — and met it with uncommon reflection and calm. His personal notes, collected in Meditations, were never meant for an audience. But today, they remain one of the most powerful testaments to inner clarity, humility, and strength.