"If it is beyond your power to control, let it go." "Do not wish that all things will go well with you, but that you will go well with all things." "In this way, you will overcome life's challenges, rather than be overcome by them." Epictetus (c. AD 50-135) was a former Roman slave who became a great teacher, deeply influencing the future emperor Marcus Aurelius among many others. His philosophy, Stoicism, was practical, not theoretical--aimed at relieving human suffering here and now. Epictetus knew suffering--besides being enslaved, he was lame in one leg and walked with a crutch. The...

How to think clearly, act purposefully, overcome any obstacle, and find peace & happiness along the way. Marcus Aurelius (121-180 CE) was one of the few true philosopher-kings in history. His father died when Marcus was three. At age fifteen, he was adopted by Emperor Antoninus Pius, putting him in the line of succession; and at forty, Marcus became a reluctant emperor of the Roman Empire. Marcus was reluctant because the demands of being emperor--on top of the temptations of wealth and power--seemed incompatible with his true ambition: to be a humble student of philosophy. Over time, though,...