"Who knows but that here, and here alone, lies your way back not only to Heaven but to Earth too, and to the great human family whose oldest hopes are confirmed by this story that does not die?"

"You are uncertain whether it is more than a myth. Well, if it is, then our last hope is gone. But is the opposite explanation not worth trying?"

"And when once the disguise has succeeded, his commands will presently be taken to abrogate all moral laws and to justify whatever the unbelieving allies of the `Christian' Party wish to do."

From the essay: "The demon inherent in every (political) party is at all times ready enough to disguise himself as the Holy Ghost; the formation of a Christian Party means handing over to him the most efficient make-up we can find."

Yeah, Aurelius is definitely more like Epictetus, who always strikes me as an authentic and honestly pretty amazing person.

I feel like it really captured the idea of the banality of evil. Almost as disturbing as Schindler's List and other similar movies in its own way. Like C.S. Lewis said, the most normal, boring people can turn into gods or devils depending on their choices.