The Kiss

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  “Ryabovitch pulled the bed-clothes over his head, curled himself up in bed, and tried to gather together the floating images in his mind and to combine them into one whole. But nothing came of it. He soon fell asleep, and his last thought was that someone had caressed him and made him happy—that something extraordinary, foolish, but joyful and delightful, had come into his life. The thought did not leave him even in his sleep. When he woke up the sensations of oil on his neck and the chill of peppermint about his lips had gone, but joy flooded his heart just as the day before.” The Kiss By Anton Chekhov (1860–1904)

It Can Happen To You, But It Doesn't Have To

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“Make sure you’re not made ‘Emperor,’ avoid that imperial stain. It can happen to you, so keep yourself simple, good, pure, saintly, plain, a friend of justice, God- fearing, gracious, affectionate, and strong for your proper work. Fight to remain the person that philosophy [the love of wisdom] wished to make you." (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.30)

"Because I'm the (title), that's why!" is a sign that a person has lost sight of identity and purpose. Don't let success (or lack of it) influence and change your character. Pursue wisdom and make your mark on the world from the inside out. 

Marcus Aurelius was hand-picked for the job of being god-among-men. He was not born into the position nor did he aspire after the title; nevertheless, his predecessor saw what he could become and Emperor he became. Marcus left the above-written note for himself as a reminder to not let it go to his head (in so many words) but to be shaped by wisdom. 

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