ReadGlobe · morning brief · archive
Tuesday 22 September
1 · The text
On getting out of bed
A Roman emperor argues with himself about staying under the blankets, and loses.
2 min · Marcus Aurelius · Meditations · tr. George Long · 1862 translation · public domain
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? But it is necessary to take rest also.—It is necessary. However, Nature has fixed bounds to this too: she has fixed bounds to eating and drinking, and yet thou goest beyond these bounds, beyond what is sufficient; yet in thy acts it is not so, but thou stoppest short of what thou canst do. So thou lovest not thyself, for if thou didst, thou wouldst love thy nature and her will. But those who love their several arts exhaust themselves in working at them unwashed and without food; but thou valuest thy own nature less than the turner values the turning art, or the dancer the dancing art, or the lover of money values his money, or the vain-glorious man his little glory. And such men, when they have a violent affection to a thing, choose neither to eat nor to sleep rather than to perfect the things which they care for. But are the acts which concern society more vile in thy eyes and less worthy of thy labor?
2 · One idea · Investing & decision-making
Circle of competence
Your circle of competence is the set of areas where you genuinely have expertise. The model says: know its boundary, operate inside it, and be honest about what lies outside — because most costly errors come from acting confidently beyond your real knowledge.
Worked example
Warren Buffett avoided technology stocks for decades — not because they were bad investments, but because they sat outside his circle. He compounded enormous returns by hitting the easy pitches inside it and ignoring everything else.
How to use it, and where it fails3 · One number
Mothers who die from pregnancy or childbirth, per 100,000 live births, world
1985429
2020212
2.0 times lower than in 1985.
A risk nearly every woman once faced, and one that now depends mostly on where she lives.
Source: Our World in Data, world estimates, read 2026-09-24.