Marcus Aurelius

American  

[aw-ree-lee-uhs, aw-reel-yuhs] / ɔˈri li əs, ɔˈril yəs /

noun

1. Marcus Annius Verus, a.d. 121–180, Stoic philosopher and writer: emperor of Rome 161–180.

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Marcus Aurelius Cultural  

1. A Stoic philosopher and emperor of Rome in the second century a.d. He is best known for his Meditations, a philosophical autobiography that is a classic work of personal writing and a remarkable exposition on Stoicism.

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Example Sentences

Despite a lustrous popular image burnished by the 2000 film “Gladiator,” Marcus Aurelius is, to scholars, a controversial figure.

From The Wall Street Journal

And so here we are, staring at a world of injustice, which, according to Marcus Aurelius, “lies in what you aren’t doing, not only in what you are doing.”

From Salon

He’s been prattling on about Marcus Aurelius’ “Meditations” and sharing Facebook nonsense about centurions ever since.

From Salon

A tour of his bookshelf shows his copy of PS, I Love You sitting alongside others on self-improvement, including Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, and one on how to be a better boyfriend.

From BBC

Randall name-checks philosophers — Hegel, Kant, Nietzsche, Plato, Marcus Aurelius — he misunderstands to his advantage and drops references to the Catiline Conspiracy and the Battle of Actium to make base actions sound important and dignified.

From Los Angeles Times