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Quality of Your Thoughts

Quality of Your Thoughts

"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." - Marcus Aurelius

In Meditations, Aurelius distills the central pillars and tenets of stoic philosophy. Although it was essentially a journal and never intended for a general readership, it has become one of the most widely read philosophical works in the world.

In our illustration, we drew inspiration from one of Notre Dame's stained glass rose windows, a fractured relic in the shape of a Greco-Roman plumed helmet. Like the stoic's ideal state of mind, stained glass is at once orderly and beautiful. Ideas radiate out from central first principles in a natural and inevitable succession of deductions and balancing forces. At the helmet's edge I added pictograms representing the four pillars of stoicism (Courage, Justice, Temperance and Wisdom) as well as other central stoic concepts: Memento Mori ("Remember Mortality"), and Amor Fati ("Love Fate"), Unity and the Inner Citadel.

SPECIAL OFFER
Any 3 prints for $48 (regularly $72)
Code: 3PRINTS
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• 11x14 inch art print with white border 
• Premium, fine art paper made in New York 
• Elegant eggshell finish
• Ships in a a rigid, flat mailer. No need to unroll! 
• Fits into standard 11x14 frames (or a 16x20 frame matted to 11x14) 

Custom sizes available HERE

$ 24.00

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About Us

Obvious State is a creative studio and independent press founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011. We make bold, conceptual art that makes you think again.

In the age of clickbait, infotainment, and overstimulation, slow thought has become a luxury. Our work exists to change that. Every piece is handcrafted by Evan — art and language that provoke thought, inspire curiosity, and make the ideas that have always mattered feel urgent again.

Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.

Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.