ἀρετή
Read something great every morning. Then do one thing about it.
Each morning you get one full passage from greats like Marcus Aurelius, Caesar, Napoleon and Homer, with a line of setup so you know what is going on. Then one thing to do about it before the day is over. It takes about five minutes.
Try Day 1
Begin.
Day 1 of 14
Marcus Aurelius, emperor of Rome, wrote this in a private notebook while on military campaign. It is a pep talk to himself on a morning he did not want to get up.
In the morning when thou risest unwillingly, let this thought be present—I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bed-clothes and keep myself warm?—But this is more pleasant.—Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe? And art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being, and dost thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature?
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.1 (George Long translation)
Marcus ruled Rome from 161 to 180 AD and spent much of his reign at war on the northern frontier. The Meditations was never published. It is a private journal of reminders to himself, and the title is a later one.
He was a Stoic, part of a school that held the good life means doing your duty and mastering your reactions, not chasing comfort. Here he argues with his own laziness like a stern friend. The objection (“But this is more pleasant”) is his own, and he answers it by pointing at the ants and bees: everything else in nature simply does its job.
The point: you do not need to feel motivated. You need to remember what you are for.
Today’s action
Do your hardest task next, before you check your phone again.
That was Day 1. There are 13 more.
Save my placeHow it works
- One full passage each morning.Not a one-line quote on a nice background, but the real passage, with a line of setup first and the backstory a tap away.
- One thing to do about it.Every reading ends with a single action for that day. You mark that you read it, and you mark that you did it.
- A streak, and nothing else.No feed, no badges and no ads. You see your streak and the number of days you showed up.
Why I’m building this
I built Arete because I wanted a morning habit that asks something of me. Most apps like this give you one quote and a calm background. That is not how Marcus Aurelius wrote, and it is not how anyone gets better. You need the whole passage, enough context to understand it, and one hard thing to do before the day is over.
The first campaign is 14 days. I will read every answer to the question below.
Ty, founder
Join the first campaign.
Fourteen days, iPhone only for now. It opens soon.
You’re on the list, .
When the campaign opens you’ll get one email with your invite. It is better with someone you know in it, so bring one person.