“To be moved by passion is not manly…. [if] a man’s mind is nearer to freedom from all passion…also is it nearer to strength” (Marcus Aurelius, Meditation, pp. 106–107). That, anyway, was the belief of Marcus Aurelius, ruler of the Roman Empire from 161 to 180 CE, and shown here as portrayed by Richard Harris in the movie Gladiator, with Russell Crowe. Marcus Aurelius was a Stoic philosopher who believed that emotions caused people to make poor decisions. Contemporary research suggests otherwise.