Take a break for an hour as Professor Sugrue discusses Meditations, the private Greek writings of Marcus Aurelius, the last of the “Five Good Emperors.” A stoic Roman Emperor who ruled from 161-180, Aurelius was a conscientious moral man who sought to avoid the temptations of absolute power, which he treated as absolute responsibility. His seriousness and self-discipline and courage are beautifully put in his observation: “Even in a palace it is possible to live well.”