Daily Stoic 07.09 | The Philosopher King
Musonius Fufus, Lectures, 8.33.32-341
Marcus Aurelius was quite literally, the Philosopher King. This particular king was spoken about by the likes of Plato in his 'Republic' and also by many other great thinkers of the past. They all knew too well that great leaders did not come from only those with knowledge of war and business. Great leaders also need reason, ethics, morality, and pretty much all of the qualities that (stoic) philosophy offers.
You may not be a king, but everyone is a leader in one way or another, and anyone who looks to you for guidance is counting on you to have your head on straight. Are you prepared to be like Marcus Aurelius and embody the role of a Philosopher King?
“For I believe a good king is from the outset and by necessity a philosopher, and the philosopher is from the outset a kingly person.”↩