Welcome to the Daily Stoic Podcast, where each day we bring you a stoic-inspired meditation

designed to help you find strength and insight and wisdom into everyday life.

Each one of these episodes is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of

history's greatest men and women to help you learn from them, to follow in their example,

and to start your day off with a little dose of courage and discipline and justice and wisdom.

For more, visit Dailystoic.com. The little things say everything.

It wasn't much.

Antoninus was helping his father-in-law with some stares.

But Hadrian saw it and it convinced him.

This was a man who could be trusted with power.

As we said recently, this is probably because

Antoninus's kindness echoed one of the founding myths of Rome, where Anaeus carried his weak father

from a burning Troy. This is actually just one glimpse into Antoninus' character. We get several

more from Marcus Rilius. We're told he took pains to make his friends feel at ease,

even after he became emperor. We're told of an encounter with a customs officer at some border crossing,

where almost certainly Antoninus dealt with a rude person without getting upset.

It's interesting that we hear about this story involving travel and Antoninus,

because unlike other emperors, Antoninus did not travel much. He did this out of consideration,

knowing what an expense and ordeal it was for provincial officials to host the imperial

processions. We're also told of his consistency to his friends, never getting fed up with

them or playing favorites. His dogged determination to treat people as they deserved. His willingness

to take care of himself, his ability to feel at ease with people, and put them at their ease.

...