Be content to seem what you really are.
Marcus Aurelius disliked flattery and posturing. While others played roles in the imperial court, he tried to remain transparent. He wrote this line while reflecting on hypocrisy — urging himself to resist the temptation to appear wise, brave, or kind, and instead *be* those things. He believed authenticity was not weakness but strength — the kind that endures when the spotlight fades.
Drop the performance. Let your life speak for itself.
"Try not to become a man of success, but a man of value."