Don’t talk about what a good person is. Be one.

Where this comes from

Marcus Aurelius ruled the Roman Empire. He also kept a notebook of reminders to himself, written in Greek, which he probably never meant anyone else to read. This line comes from it, about 1,850 years ago: an emperor telling himself to stop talking about being good and get on with it.

How you could say it to a five-year-old

“You don’t have to tell everyone you’re kind. You can share your crayons.”

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10.16. We put the wording on this poster into plain English ourselves.