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Welcome to the Daily Stoke. For each day, we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living good life.

Each one of these passages is based on the 2000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com.

All that shimmers in this world, nothing gold can stay. All that shimmers in the world is sure to fade. We know this. We know that glory is fleeting, that even the best and the brightest eventually burn out, that we are born to die.

So what does this mean that nothing matters that we shouldn't try? Absolutely not. Marcus Aurelius said that the fruit of this life is good character and acts for the common good.

But it is a special kind of fruit, a fruit that never goes bad, that never rots, that is always ripe. Think about Marcus' meditations. The posthumous fame it has earned him is worthless.

But the good that it continues to do for you and for millions of other people, that remains. It is as fresh as it ever was and looks forward to another 2000 years of impact whether he will enjoy it or not.

The Stoics believed that goodness was like a precious stone. It was bright and it could not be snuffed out. Whether you polished it or not, it was worth something.

The question for you today and always is what will you chase and what will you value? The shimmering, fleeting lights of this world or the thing that cannot fade, the good that lasts forever or the thing that disappears quickly.

Virtue, that's what counts, that's what does more than shimmer. It stays, it sustains us, it's what matters.

Virtue, the summ, bottom, the highest good, the thing we were put here to do, that's what the Stoics worshiped. That's what we talk about here at Daily Stoic.

If you want a reminder of Virtue, something that inspires you whether it's in your pocket or on your desk or on your nightstand, you can check out our Summum, bottom challenge coin in the Daily Stoic store. Just go to store.dailystoic.com.

Hey, prime members, you can listen to the Daily Stoic early and add free on Amazon music. Download the Amazon music app today or you can listen early and add free with Wondering Plus in Apple podcasts.