Marcus Aurelius’s Four Rebuttals for a Peaceful Mind

Ancient Thinking Strategies Straight Out of Modern Therapy

Marcus Aurelius’s 1,800-year-old advice for a peaceful mind could have come from the mouth of a modern therapist.

The philosopher-emperor knew that accepting every thought wandering through our skulls is a recipe for a horrible life. We’ll be battered about by whatever wind blows, unable to steady ourselves. In his journal, he told himself to keep several rebuttal strategies at hand.

“There are four ways above all in which the command center can take a turn for the worse,” he wrote. “You should be on your guard against them in every moment, and whenever you detect them, for each case:

• This thought is unnecessary.

• This thought tends to dissolve society’s bonds.

• What you’re about to say does not come from yourself (which you should regard one of the most monstrous things that can happen).

• And the fourth aberration for which you need to take yourself to task is when the more divine part of you is overcome by and succumbs to the less worthwhile, mortal part, —the body and its stupid self-indulgence.¹”

This Thought Is Unnecessary

Many painful thoughts and opinions are superfluous. The rain is just rain, not a disaster. Our failed job application is like the tide going out — a fact not requiring judgment. If we’re stuck on a painful interpretation, we can reanchor with a more useful assessment.

“For the greatest part of what we say and do being unnecessary, if a man takes this away, he will have more leisure and less uneasiness,” Marcus wrote. “Accordingly on every occasion a man should ask himself, is this one of the unnecessary things? Now a man should take away not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for thus superfluous acts will not follow after².”

But in many situations we should say to ourselves, “You don’t need to have an opinion about this.”

This Thought Dissolves Society’s Bonds.

Viewpoints that tear society apart — that cast a neighbor as odious and irredeemable instead of a floundering human — work against justice and our community.

So when tempted to look on a person or group in a way that weakens social bonds, take a cue from the philosopher Epictetus:

“Everything has two handles, the one by which it may be carried, the other by which it cannot. If your brother acts unjustly, don’t lay hold on the action by the handle of his injustice for by that it cannot be carried; but by the opposite, that he is your brother, that he was brought up with you; and thus you will lay hold on it, as it is to be carried³.” 

This Thought Has Infected You

"An infected mind is a far more dangerous pestilence than any plague—one only threatens your life, the other destroys your character⁴,” Marcus told himself.

He thought becoming infected with another’s thoughts “the most monstrous thing that can happen.”

That’s a problem, since pundits and politicians push their views hard. Refusing to join the herd can mean social ostracism. We need to interrogate every thought and opinion if we want to stay free.

Our best bet:

1. Let few things into our identity, since the more labels we wear the stupider we get.

2. Most of our opinions should remain lightly held working hypotheses we don’t identify with. Be ready to update or discard them when the evidence changes.

3. Make it hard to be infected. Stay off social media. Stay away from political pundits. Read old books.

4. Ask how your opinions hold up against virtue and the values you hold dear. What are their implications?

This Desire Jerks You Away From What’s Important

It’s easy to let stray desires (especially ones that society infects us with) pull us away from what’s most important. They wrap us in bullshit and make us think that’s good.

Marcus had one way of freeing himself from temptations. Horace had another.

With these tools, we can often see that our desires aren’t all their cracked up to be.

The Key Takeaway:

Marcus knew he was playing an incredibly important game, and his thoughts and reactions determined his outcome.

It’s easy to be caught off guard and carried away by a thought. So for each one that enters our mind, we must have a rebuttal ready. You may find it easier to rebut your thoughts if you journal like a philosopher.

Looking for a place to start? Remember to be lucky today.

1. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 11.19.

2. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.24

3. Epictetus, Enchiridion, 43

4. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 9.2