To be more manly, you must first be more human

“Upright, not righted (by others)” (Meditations, 7.12).

To him this means being able to perform his duties, and even face death, in good cheer, without being dependent upon support from others. He sums it up in the maxim: “you must stand upright, not be held upright.” Marcus repeated this striking expression of self-reliance three or four times in Meditations.