Marcus Aurelius – Meditations.

Some of my favourite quotes:

Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

Children tantrums and toys, 'tiny spirits carrying corpses' - the underworld in odyssey strikes more real!

A deep scowl on the face is country to nature, and when habitual, expressiveness begins to die or even finally extinguished beyond rekindling.

I have often wondered how it is everyone loves himself more than the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinions of himself than the opinions of others. Anyway if a god or some wise tutor appeared at his side and told him to entertain no internal thought or intention which he won't immediately broadcast outside, would not tolerate this regime for a single day. So it is that we have more respect for what our neighbours will think of us than we have for ourselves.