Junius Rusticus

Him also I must thank for my hearing first Bacchius, then Tendassis, and Marcianus, that I wrote dialogues in my youth, and took a liking to the philosopher's palate and skins, and to the other things which by the Grecian discipline belong to that profession.

To Rusticus I owe my first apprehensions that my nature needed reform and cure, and that I did not fall into the ambition of the common sophists, either by composing speculative writings or by declaiming harangues of exhortation in public.

Further, that I never strove to be admired by ostentation of great patience in an aesthetic life, or by display of activity and application, that I gave over the study of rhetoric, poetry, and the graces of language, and that I did not pace my house in the senatorial robes or practice any similar affectation.

I observed also the simplicity of style in his letters, particularly in that which he wrote to my mother from Sinuessa.

By the gods' grace I forestalled the wishes of those by whom I was brought up in promoting them to the dignities they seemed most to desire.

I did not put them off with the hope that since they were but young I would do it hereafter.

I owe to the gods that I ever knew Apollonius, Rusticus, and Maximus, and that I have had occasion often and effectually to meditate with myself and inquire what is truly the life according to nature.

And as far as lies within the dispensation of the gods to give suggestion, help, or inspiration, there is nothing to prevent my having already realized that life.

And what's remarkable to me about this, this totally unique book, the private thoughts of the most powerful man in the world, was itself the product of a book recommendation.

You see this here, Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor of Rome, thanks his philosophy teacher, Rusticus, at the beginning of Meditations, for teaching him how to read attentively and not be satisfied with just getting the gist of things.

He's teaching him the methodology and the practices for being a great reader, not just a surface-level understanding, and he says, "And for introducing me to Epictetus' lectures and loaning me his own copy." Here is my copy of Epictetus.

These are two books that changed my life.

This is actually the copy, just to make this even more full circle, that Admiral Stockdale was given by his philosophy teacher in 1962 as a graduate student at Stanford.

He's leaving for his deployment, almost certainly going to the South China Sea.

The, the war in Vietnam is just breaking out, and this teacher reaches up to a shelf and says, "I have something for you," and hands him this edition of Epictetus and says, "I think this might be of value to you." Which is really what reading is all about.

From Dignatus, not to busy myself about trifling things, and not to give credit to what was said by miracle-workers and jugglers about incantations and the driving away of demons and such things, and not to breed quails for fighting, nor to give myself up passionately to such things, and to endure freedom of speech, and to have become intimate with philosophy, and to have been a hearer, first of Bacchius, then of Tandasis and Marcianus, and to have written dialogues in my youth, and to have desired a plank, bed, and skin, and whatever else of the kind belongs to the Grecian discipline.

From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and discipline, and from him I learned not to be led astray to sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to delivering little horatory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man who practices much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display, and to abstain from rhetoric, and poetry, and fine writing, and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind, and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuisa to my mother, and with respect to those who have offended me by words, or done me wrong, to be easily disposed to be pacified and reconciled, as soon as they have shown a readiness to be reconciled, and to read carefully, and not to be satisfied with a superficial understanding of a book, nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk overmuch.

And I am indebted to him for being acquainted with the discourses of Epictetus, which he communicated to me out of his own collection.

8.

That I did not make more proficiency in rhetoric, poetry, and the other studies in which I should perhaps have been completely engaged, if I had seen that I was making progress in them.

That I made haste to place those who brought me up in the station of honour which they seemed to desire, without putting them off with hope of my doing it some time after, because they were then still young.

That I knew Apollonius, Rusticus, Maximus.

That I received clear and frequent impressions about living according to nature, and what kind of a life that is, so that, so far as depended on the gods, and their gifts and help, and inspirations, nothing hindered me from forthwith living according to nature, though I still fall short of it through my own fault, and through not observing the admonitions of the gods, and, I may almost say, their direct instructions.

Him also I must thank for my hearing first Bacchius, then Tendasius and Marcianus; that I wrote dialogues in my youth, and took a liking to the philosopher's pallet and skins, and to the other things which by the Grecian discipline belong to that profession.

To Rusticus I owe my first apprehensions that my nature needed reform and cure, and that I did not fall into the ambition of the common sophists, either by composing speculative writings or by declaiming harangues of exhortation in public; further, that I never strove to be admired by ostentation of great patience in an ascetic life, or by display of activity and application; that I gave over the study of rhetoric, poetry, and the graces of language; and that I did not pace my house in the senatorial robes, or practice any similar affectation.

I observed also the simplicity of style in his letters, particularly in that which he wrote to my mother from Singuesa.

I learned from him to be easily appeased, and to be readily reconciled with those who had displeased me or given cause of offense, so soon as they inclined to make their peace; to read with care; not to rest satisfied with a slight and superficial knowledge; nor quickly to assent to great talkers.

By the gods' grace I forestalled the wishes of those by whom I was brought up in promoting them to the dignities they seemed most to desire.

I did not put them off with the hope that since they were but young I would do it hereafter.

I owe to the gods that I ever knew Apollonius, Rusticus, and Maximus, and that I have had occasion often and effectually to meditate with myself and inquire what is truly the life according to nature.

And as far as lies within the dispensation of the gods to give suggestion, help, or inspiration, there is nothing to prevent my having already realized that life.

Him also I must thank for my hearing first Bacchaeus, then Tendasus, and Marcianus, that I wrote dialogues in my youth, and took a liking to the philosopher's palate and skins, and to the other things which by the Grecian discipline belong to that profession.

To Rusticus I owe my first apprehensions that my nature needed reform and cure, and that I did not fall into the ambition of the common sophists, either by composing speculative writings, or by declaiming harangues of exhortation in public.

Further, that I never strove to be admired by ostentation of great patience in an aesthetic life, or by display of activity and application, that I gave over the study of rhetoric, poetry, and the graces of language, and that I did not pace my house in the senatorial robes, or practice any similar affectation.

I observed also the simplicity of style in his letters, particularly in that which he wrote to my mother from Sinuessa.

I have fallen short of it by my own fault, and because I give no heed to the inward monitions and almost direct instructions of the gods, to whom be thanks that my body hath so long endured the stress of such a life as I have led.

By their goodness I never had to do with either Benedicta or Theodotus, and afterwards, when I fell into some foolish passions, I was soon cured.

I give thanks that having often been displeased with Rusticus, I never did anything to him which afterwards I might have had occasion to repent; that though my mother was destined to die young, she lived with me all her latter years; that, as often as I inclined to succour any who were either poor or had fallen into some distress, I was never answered that there was not ready money enough to do it, and that I myself never had need of the like succour from another.

I must be grateful, too, that I have such a wife, so obedient, so loving, so ingenuous; that I had choice of fit and able men to whom I might commit the education of my children.

Him also I must thank for my hearing first Bacchius, then Tendasus, and Marcianus, that I wrote dialogues in my youth, and took a liking to the philosopher's palate and skins, and to the other things which by the Grecian discipline belong to that profession.

To Rusticus I owe my first apprehensions that my nature needed reform and cure, and that I did not fall into the ambition of the common sophists, either by composing speculative writings or by declaiming harangues of exhortation in public.

Further, that I never strove to be admired by ostentation of great patience in an ascetic life, or by display of activity and application, that I gave over the study of rhetoric, poetry, and the graces of language, and that I did not pace my house in the senatorial robes or practice any similar affectation.

I observed also the simplicity of style in his letters, particularly in that which he wrote to my mother from Sinuessa.

By the gods' grace, I forestalled the wishes of those by whom I was brought up in promoting them to the dignities they seemed most to desire.

I did not put them off with the hope that since they were but young, I would do it hereafter.

I owe to the gods that I ever knew Apollonius, Rusticus, and Maximus, and that I have had occasion often and effectually to meditate with myself and inquire what is truly the life according to nature.

And as far as lies within the dispensation of the gods to give suggestion, help, or inspiration, there is nothing to prevent my having already realized that life.

7.

From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and discipline, and from him I learned not to be led astray to sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to delivering little oratory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man who practices much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display, and to abstain from rhetoric, and poetry, and fine writing, and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind, and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuisa to my mother, and with respect to those who have offended me by words, or done me wrong, to be easily disposed to be pacified and reconciled, as soon as they have shown a readiness to be reconciled, and to read carefully, and not to be satisfied with a superficial understanding of a book, nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk overmuch.

And I am indebted to him for being acquainted with the discourses of Epictetus, which he communicated to me out of his own collection.

8.

That I did not make more proficiency in rhetoric, poetry, and the other studies in which I should perhaps have been completely engaged, if I had seen that I was making progress in them.

That I made haste to place those who brought me up in the station of honour which they seemed to desire, without putting them off with hope of my doing it some time after, because they were then still young.

That I knew Apollonius, Rusticus, Maximus.

That I received clear and frequent impressions about living according to nature, and what kind of a life that is, so that, so far as depended on the gods, and their gifts and help, and inspirations, nothing hindered me from forthwith living according to nature, though I still fall short of it through my own fault, and through not observing the admonitions of the gods, and, I may almost say, their direct instructions.

Apollonius of Chalcedon taught him how to live with freedom and consistency, to be at once flexible and immovable, to be serious without being theatrical about it.

Junius Rusticus, perhaps the single most important philosophical influence on Marcus's mature thought, gave him something more concrete, a copy of the lectures of Epictetus.

Epictetus, remember that name? Epictetus had been a slave.

Born in the first century AD in what is now western Turkey, he had lived the most constrained life imaginable.

His mother, piety, generosity, simplicity of living.

His tutor, not to follow the crowd.

Rusticus, to recognize when his character needed correction.

Apollonius, freedom of will.

And then, in an unbelievable stroke of good luck, he was chosen to be the most powerful man in the world.

But the luckiest break that Marcus Aurelius got came in the form of Rusticus, his philosophy teacher.

"Just as reading and writing require a master," Marcus wrote in Meditations, "still more so with life." Rusticus was that master.

He taught Marcus how to think.

He taught him how to live.

He is also the one who gave his young student a copy of Epictetus, which Marcus tells us, "He supplied me out of his own library." Rusticus almost certainly attended Epictetus's lectures in person and was an ideal teacher to help make sure that Marcus Aurelius got more than just the gist, that he came to understand it on a soul level.

Flash forward 18 centuries later, and history repeated itself.

In 1962, Commander James Stockdale began studying philosophy under Professor Philip Rhinelander at Stanford University.