Meditations: The Annotated Edition

When I was a child, seeking praise for my good deeds, my father’s response—‘Virtue is its own reward’—felt like an unjust denial of what I believed was rightfully earned. However, decades later, as I matured into a leadership role at MacEwan and delved into Marcus Aurelius’s ‘Meditations,’ I came to recognize the profound wisdom behind those words. Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher, profoundly shaped my perspective on leadership and personal growth. His belief in wisdom, fortitude, fairness, and temperance as cardinal virtues resonates with me. These principles, drawn from his work ‘Meditations,’ continue to guide me as both a leader and an individual. Aurelius’s stoic philosophy inspires me to cultivate virtue, seek inner strength, and navigate life’s challenges with grace and integrity.