Marcus is reminding us that when people act with cruelty or insensitivity, our responses should not mirror their inhumanity.

When someone is rude to you in traffic, or a colleague belittles your work, the knee-jerk reaction may be to retaliate in kind, to stoop down to their level.

But stoicism calls for the higher ground. How does it serve you to become just as unkind or unthinking as them?

Instead of returning a harsh word with resentment, try responding with quiet dignity. If a person behaves poorly, it is a reflection of their values, not yours. So, why let their behavior dictate your response?

In every situation, you have a choice. A choice to exhibit patience, kindness, restraint. Even in facing inhumanity, you have the power to retain your humaneness.

Ask yourself next time, will you echo their inhumanity, or rise above it?