Marcus Aurelius read Epictetus…a lot. We know this because Meditations is proof of it. Almost every page has some direct quote or allusion to Epictetus. We also find, upon deeper inspection, references to the works of Panaetius, Chrysippus, the plays of Euripides, Zeno and countless other philosophers.

How does someone develop recall like that? How did he become so wise, not just on the page but in life? Through repetition and practice. Marcus Aurelius never refers to Seneca, but it’s clear that he internalized a piece of advice from that Stoic, too. “You must linger among a limited number of master-thinkers, and digest their works,” Seneca wrote, “if you would derive ideas which shall win firm hold in your mind.”

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