A Roman emperor who was also a philosopher. The last of what historians call the Five Good Emperors, a string of competent rulers. He wrote a diary full of self-exhortations, confessions, and reminders to act like a good person, which can be an interesting read from such a privileged autocrat. My highlights: Book: Meditations.

I will repeat that Poincaré was the true kind of philosopher of science: his philosophizing came from his witnessing the limits of the subject itself, which is what true philosophy is all about. I love to tick off French literary intellectuals by naming Poincaré as my favorite French philosopher. "Him a philosophe? What do you mean, monsieur?" It is always frustrating to explain to people that the thinkers they put on the pedestals, such as Henri Bergson or Jean-Paul Sartre, are largely the result of fashion production and can't come close to Poincaré in terms of sheer influence that will continue for centuries to come.

– Nassim Taleb