Never esteem anything as of advantage to you that will make you break your word or lose your self-respect.

This maxim is attributed to the Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius (r. 161–180 CE) and reflects the ethical preoccupations found throughout his private notes, commonly known as the Meditations. Written in Greek during military campaigns on the empire’s northern frontiers, these reflections were not composed for publication but as personal reminders to live according to Stoic virtue. In that setting—amid war, political responsibility, and constant temptation to compromise—Marcus repeatedly urges himself to prize integrity over external “advantages” such as wealth, status, or safety. The line encapsulates his recurring counsel that one’s character is the only true possession and must not be traded for expediency.

The quote draws a sharp Stoic boundary between what merely seems beneficial and what is genuinely good. For Marcus, the only real good is virtue—expressed here as keeping one’s word and preserving self-respect (a conscience aligned with reason). Anything that requires dishonesty, betrayal, or moral self-abasement is, by definition, not an “advantage,” even if it brings comfort, promotion, or survival. The saying also implies a practical test for decisions: if the price is integrity, the bargain is corrupt. In Stoic terms, external gains are “indifferents,” while moral character is the core of a flourishing life.