Day 35 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · February 4, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Marcus Aurelius
Meditations, Book VII, §59
“Look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig.”
C O N T E X T
Marcus, emperor of Rome, writing late at night in his tent during military campaigns, reminds himself that the source of goodness is already inside him. It only needs to be uncovered — through persistent inner work.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“When you look within, what do you find — a fountain or a desert? What determines which it is?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about one good quality within you that you have not been nurturing.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Marcus's fountain metaphor transforms self-knowledge from excavation (digging for hidden truths) to cultivation (nurturing what's already there). Which metaphor fits your experience better?
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Sustain it →Tomorrow's passage, delivered at dawn.