Welcome to The Stoic Ledger, a daily money meditation from one of the stoic sages.

7/365: Marcus Aurelius on arrogance

Here we have the most powerful man in the Roman Empire telling us that it’s okay to have wealth and prosperity. It’s okay to pursue these things. 

But with a few caveats: do so without arrogance, and stand ready to part ways with them. 

Are you prideful in the things you own? In the implied intelligence or savvy? If this is the case, you’ll certainly have trouble letting them go, equally afraid to lose them. For what you stand to lose is something more than the item — it’s the pride. 

Marcus Aurelius warns us to check the self-importance, the ego, and right-size our view of any wealth and prosperity we might temporarily rent as short-term tenants in this life.