Autarky for the common good. Marcus Aurelius 1.16.4-7

The emperor Antoninus made quite an impression on Marcus Aurelius. You can hear this detailed portrait of Marcus' foster father <here>.

καὶ τὸ μηδὲ ἄν τινα εἰπεῖν μήτε ὅτι σοφιστὴς μήτε ὅτι οὐερνάκλος μήτε ὅτι σχολαστικός, ἀλλ̓ ὅτι ἀνὴρ πέπειρος, τέλειος, ἀκολάκευτος, προεστάναι δυνάμενος καὶ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἄλλων. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὸ τιμητικὸν τῶν ἀληθῶς φιλοσοφούντων, τοῖς δὲ ἄλλοις οὐκ ἐξονειδιστικὸν οὐδὲ μὴν εὐπαράγωγον ὑπ̓ αὐτῶν· ἔτι δὲ τὸ εὐόμιλον καὶ εὔχαρι οὐ κατακόρως· καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος ἐπιμελητικὸν ἐμμέτρως, οὔτε ὡς ἄν τις φιλόζωος οὔτε πρὸς καλλωπισμὸν οὔτε μὴν ὀλιγώρως, ἀλλ̓ ὥστε διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν προσοχὴν εἰς ὀλίγιστα ἰατρικῆς χρῄζειν ἢ φαρμάκων καὶ ἐπιθεμάτων ἐκτός·

μάλιστα δὲ τὸ παραχωρητικὸν ἀβασκάνως τοῖς δύναμίν τινα κεκτημένοις, οἷον τὴν φραστικὴν ἢ τὴν ἐξ ἱστορίας νόμων ἢ ἐθῶν ἢ ἄλλων τινῶν πραγμάτων, καὶ συσπουδαστικὸν αὐτοῖς, ἵνα ἕκαστοι κατὰ τὰ ἴδια προτερήματα εὐδοκιμῶσι· πάντα δὲ κατὰ τὰ πάτρια πράσσων, οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἐπιτηδεύων φαίνεσθαι, τὸ τὰ πάτρια φυλάσσειν.

ἔτι δὲ τὸ μὴ εὐμετακίνητον καὶ ῥιπταστικόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τόποις καὶ πράγμασι τοῖς αὐτοῖς ἐνδιατριπτικόν· καὶ τὸ μετὰ τοὺς παροξυσμοὺς τῆς κεφαλαλγίας νεαρὸν εὐθὺς καὶ ἀκμαῖον πρὸς τὰ συνήθη ἔργα· καὶ τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτῷ πολλὰ τὰ ἀπόρρητα, ἀλλ̓ ὀλίγιστα καὶ σπανιώτατα καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ τῶν κοινῶν μόνον· καὶ τὸ ἔμφρον καὶ μεμετρημένον ἔν τε θεωριῶν ἐπιτελέσει καὶ ἔργων κατασκευαῖς καὶ διανομαῖς καὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις, ὅ ἐστιν ἀνθρώπου πρὸς αὐτὸ τὸ δέον πραχθῆναι δεδορκότος, οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν εὐδοξίαν.

Never to call anyone a sophist, a fellow Roman (†), or a scholar, but instead to say of him that he is mature, accomplished, immune to flattery, capable of administering both his own affairs and those of others. In addition, he demonstrated the ability to honor genuine philosophers without blaming others or being seduced by them. A gracious sociability that avoided excess. Also, a concern for his own body that was not anxious, or vain, or trifling, but calculated rather to ensure by his own diligence that he had minimal need of medical attention from others, whether drugs or applications (‡).

Most remarkable was his ability to give way without envy before any who had acquired some powerful skill, whether eloquence or familiarity with laws and customs and other such matters: he would not only give way, but support these people actively, so that their fame prospered in keeping with their personal achievements. And though he did all things in keeping with ancestral customs, he did not make a show of keeping them.

He showed how to remain unmoved and unshaken, constantly involved in the same places and actions. Even when he had just experienced severe pains from a headache, he was immediately willing and ready for his habitual pursuits. Not to have many secrets, but rather as few as possible, arising infrequently and only as a result of shared circumstances. And a measured, prudent approach to completing plans, preparing works, distributing resources, and all such matters: his outlook was that of a man watching what needs to be done, not what happens to his reputation.

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(†) The Greek οὐερνάκλος here is just the Latin vernaculus, a diminutive of verna, which literally indicates a home-born slave (see Plautus, Miles gloriosus 3.1.102, & Amphitruo 1.1.174-182, for two examples), and extends metaphorically to refer to anyone born in the region (see Martial 10.76).

(‡) Ancient medicine often involved putting poultices on the body, anointing the body with certain oils, etc.