From my mother: piety, generosity, the avoidance of wrong-doing and even the thought of it; also simplicity of living, well clear of the habits of the rich.

– Meditations 1:3

• After 1:2’s foray into “manliness” its nice to see Marcus honor his mother, though much of these attributes are stereotypically feminine, its good to see Marcus wanted to emulate his mother.
• After Marcus’s father died, his mother, Domitia Lucilla raised Marcus and his sister Annia as a widow. With the support of Marcus’s grandfather.
• “well clear of the habits of the rich” is a great phrase, probably even better in the original Greek. What this meant, specifically, in Marcus’s time, I’m not sure.  But its stil solid advice today.
• Lucilla also raised another emperor, Dius Julianus, who bought the laurel from the Praetorian Guard and reigned for a mere three months until the Senate rose up against him, proclaimed Servus emperor, and had Julianus put to death.