William O. Stephens

And he was impressed by by the austere philosophy.

model of philosophers and and Stoics in particular.

Yeah.

So Hadrian was savvy in that regard.

And, you know, lining up the succession with Antoninus Pius adopting Marcus and Lucius Ferris.

Yeah.

And so, I mean, it just seems like it's fairly safe to suppose that Marcus did stand out.

to Hadrian in that respect.

And that other boys Marcus's age just weren't as serious, just weren't quite as studious, weren't really quite as serious about taking their duties, even as children, really very seriously.

And Marcus did.

He was precocious, he was bookish, and he recognized his responsibilities

And took them very seriously from an early age.

And Hadrian saw that, and that's what distinguished him.

And fortunately for us, you know, that worked out.

And fortunately for the Romans under Marcus, that worked out his subjects, that worked out pretty well.

Right.

And this is the point I made last time when we spoke.

and the conceit of the book.

Marcus was drawn to philosophy.

That's what he wanted to do.