Who was Marcus Aurelius?

Marcus Aurelius. The philosopher-emperor. The ruler with a pen in one hand and the fate of an empire in the other. His name has endured throughout the centuries not merely because he was a Roman emperor, but because he was also so much more than that.

But who was Marcus Aurelius really? A warrior? A writer? A Stoic sage? Or simply a man trying to hold himself together while the weight of the world pressed down? Let’s find out.

From promising youth to chosen heir

Born on 26 April, 121 AD, Marcus Annius Verus entered a world of privilege and promise (we should all be so lucky). His family belonged to Rome’s elite. Yet his path was not his own for long. At the age of 17, he was adopted by Antoninus Pius – heir to Emperor Hadrian – and suddenly the course of his life was set.

From that moment on, Marcus was groomed not just to live well, but to rule. He studied philosophy, rhetoric, law, and leadership. But unlike many of his peers, he was drawn less to the thrill of oratory or the glitter of power than to the quiet discipline of Stoicism.

Even as a boy, he was seen in plain clothes rather than in fancy robes, sleeping on a hard bed rather than a luxurious one, practicing austerity. Hadrian himself called him “Verissimus” – “the truest one.” The nickname suited him well.

Duty at the edge of an empire

When Antoninus Pius died in 161 AD, Marcus became emperor, sharing power briefly with his adoptive brother Lucius Verus. And almost immediately, the world tested him.

Wars erupted along the Danube frontier. Germanic tribes pushed at Rome’s borders. A devastating plague – smallpox probably, but impossible to say for sure – swept through the empire, claiming countless lives. The emperor spent much of his reign not in marble halls, but in military camps, writing by lamplight while armies marched outside his tent.

Here is the paradox: Marcus commanded men, moved legions, and guarded an empire. Yet his true battles were inward. How can you remain calm amid chaos? How can you act justly when surrounded by corruption? How do you balance the duties of an emperor with the longings of a philosopher?

As he once wrote: “External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them.”

(If you’ve seen Gladiator, you’ve glimpsed a fictional version of Marcus Aurelius in his final days. While the film takes creative liberties, it captures something of the tension between the ruler’s immense power and his yearning for wisdom and peace.)

Meditations: Marcus Aurelius’ timeless work

But Marcus Aurelius’ greatest legacy is not his conquests; it’s his private journal, later known as Meditations.

Written in Greek, scribbled in fragments during campaigns, it reads less like a work of statecraft and more like a private journal – a conversation Marcus had with himself.

Over and over, he returns to the same core values:

• Life is short. Waste no time.
  
• Focus only on what lies within your control.
  
• Other people’s faults? They are part of nature, too. Respond with justice, not anger.
  
• Remember death. It is not a curse, but a compass.

He once wrote: “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.”

Another line cuts even deeper: “It is not death that a man should fear, but never beginning to live.”

These are not the polished words of a man posturing for history. They are the scribbles of someone trying, desperately, to keep himself steady. And perhaps that is why they resonate with us still.

The contradictions of power

And yet even Marcus Aurelius was no perfect Stoic sage. He ruled during times of persecution against Christians – though whether he encouraged it or merely tolerated it is debated. 

But his greatest failure, arguably, was leaving the empire to his son Commodus (AKA Joaquin Phoenix’s character in Gladiator) – a man remembered not for wisdom, but for cruelty and vanity. The “philosopher king” gave way to the tyrant child.

So what do we make of this? Was Marcus Aurelius a hypocrite – a man who spoke of virtue but failed to secure it in succession? Or was he, as he so often reminded himself, simply human? Bound by duty, shaped by circumstance, flawed but striving?

Why Marcus Aurelius still matters today

Two thousand years have passed since Marcus Aurelius walked the camps along the Danube. Yet his words are still read, quoted, cherished. Why? Because they are not about Rome alone – they are also about us.

When he writes of anger, we recognise our own. When he warns against wasting time, we see the glow of our screens. When he urges us to live now, not tomorrow, we feel the sting of our own procrastination.

“Do not be wise in words. Be wise in deeds.” It’s as relevant in homes and offices today as it was to Roman courts way back then.

Marcus Aurelius reminds us that power and philosophy are not separate. That one can command an empire and still doubt himself. That greatness is not measured in monuments, but in the quiet effort to live with integrity, moment by moment, day by day.

In the end, who was Marcus Aurelius? An emperor, yes. A Stoic, certainly. But most of all – a man who, amid the dust of battle and the roar of duty, paused to whisper to himself: “Hold fast. Do good. Remember death. Live well.”

On The Ancient Advisor, Marcus Aurelius’ wise words live on in beautifully designed prints, turning Stoic wisdom into stylish wall art. Check out my inspirational Marcus Aurelius quotes here.