Marcus Aurelius: If anybody shall reprove me, and shall…

Being corrected is not an insult when the correction is true. It is a gift, because error costs us something every day we continue in it. Marcus makes a demanding promise: if someone can show him that his judgment or action is wrong, he will gladly change course. Most of us prefer defending our identity to improving our understanding. We explain, deflect, and counterattack because being wrong feels like losing. But truth does not harm you; clinging to a false view does. This does not mean accepting every criticism. Some feedback is careless, cruel, or mistaken. Examine it rather than automatically obeying it. Yet if the other person is right, thank them internally and revise. That is strength, not weakness. Today, think about the criticism that has stayed with you. Instead of asking whether it was delivered perfectly, ask whether there is a piece of truth you can use.