Thread by @SahilBloom

Memento Mori—the powerful daily reminder we all need:

Memento Mori is a Latin phrase that translates to "remember that you must die."

A favorite of Stoic philosophy, it’s a reminder of the inescapability of death.

It’s not intended to be morbid—rather to clarify, illuminate, and inspire.

A reminder of the precious nature of time.

The general idea of recognizing your mortality has been around for millennia.

The phrase itself is believed to have originated in the Roman Empire.

After military victories, the heroes were paraded through the streets on chariots.

They may have felt like Gods...

But the Romans would place a person in the chariot whose sole responsibility was to whisper in the hero's ear throughout the parade:

"Respice post te. Hominem te esse memento. Memento mori!"

Translation: "Look behind. Remember thou art mortal. Remember that you must die!"

Memento Mori served as a tool to invoke humility in moments of glory.

It can also be a useful tool for providing clarity.

The Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius famously wrote in his Meditations:

”You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think."

Humans are inclined to hide from our mortality—to push it away from our minds.

Marcus Aurelius and other Stoic philosophers taught the opposite.

Bring death to the front of your mind.

Let your mortality serve to clarify your daily motivations.

Let your mortality inspire you.

Beyond the exact phrase, the idea of remembering our mortality has been a constant across time, culture, and religion.

Death and time are the ultimate equalizers.

We may look different, live in different places, and believe different things.

But in the end, we’re all the same.

Steve Jobs talked about the power of acknowledging his own mortality in his 2005 commencement address at Stanford.

"Remembering that I'll be dead soon is the most important tool I've ever encountered to help me make the big choices in life."

At the time of the address, Jobs had been battling a rare cancer, making his words even more powerful.

"Almost everything...just fall[s] away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important...You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."

So as you face the coming days, weeks, months, and years of your life, always remember your own mortality.

Remember how precious your time really is.

Don’t hide from it. Embrace it.

Let it motivate and inspire you.

Let it be a call to action.

Memento Mori.

There are some amazing resources here.

The Daily Stoic by @RyanHoliday is at the top of this list. It’s an incredible repository of short, daily insights from Stoic philosophy.

amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Me…

stoicreflections.com/products/memen…

Follow me @SahilBloom for more writing on life, growth, business, and finance.

I will write a deep dive on this topic in my newsletter in the weeks ahead. Join 75,000+ others and subscribe so you don’t miss it! sahilbloom.substack.com

And if you haven’t already seen it, here’s the full video of the Steve Jobs commencement speech.

It’s a must watch.