Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus ruled the Roman Empire from 161 until his death in 180. Adopted into the imperial family as a boy and trained in Stoic philosophy, he spent much of his reign on campaign along the Danube frontier.

There, writing in Greek, he kept the private notebook later published as the Meditations: reminders to himself on duty, mortality and self-command, never meant for other readers. It has been read ever since as a manual of inner discipline written by a man who held absolute power and refused to be ruled by it.