"A noble man compares and estimates himself by an idea which is higher than himself; and a mean man, by one lower than himself. The one produces aspiration; the other ambition, which is the way in which a vulgar man aspires."
Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and Stoic philosopher who ruled from 161 to 180 CE. He is best known for Meditations, a major work of Stoic philosophy written during his reign.