Other People’s Mistakes

Marcus Aurelius wrote: “Other people’s mistakes? Leave them to their makers.”

That messaging is a hidden survival skill. Most of our wasted energy comes from trying to manage what’s outside our reach: correcting, judging, or carrying someone else’s errors.

The move is discipline.

• If their mistake harms you or the business, step in.

• If it only irritates you, leave it.

• If it only exposes ego (yours or theirs), turn away.

Aurelius reminds us: your attention is better spent on your own work.

In practice this means:

• At work: don’t escalate every misstep. Escalate what threatens delivery, not what just offends your sense of order.

• At home: let family members learn through trial, instead of rushing to correct.

• In yourself: spend twice the energy fixing your own lapses than cataloging others.

Leaving mistakes to their makers also lets you focus. And focus is what turns philosophy into progress.