If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgement of them. And it is in your power to wipe out that judgement now.

Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE) was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher known for his posthumously titled work, Meditations. Assumed to have been written for his own self-improvement, the book examines life experiences through the lens of Stoic principles, which emphasize living virtuously, rationally, simply, and with full responsibility for one’s actions and obligations.