Aurelius vs Lychnos

"Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." — Marcus Aurelius, X.16 Aurelius is not a mood tracker or a collection of inspiring quotes. It's an uncompromising tool for daily Askesis. We bring philosophy back into practice so your efforts find their true purpose.

One passage a day, and a few minutes to think about it. Lychnos brings you Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus each morning in a contemporary reading, with the original Greek or Latin a tap away. In the evening, it gives you a quiet place to write or record what the day taught you. In the morning, the reading of the day • A contemporary reading: a short text that connects the day's passage to life today, without losing sight of the source • The original a tap away: the whole passage in translation, with the line of the day highlighted, and the text in Greek or Latin, from the critical editions • Stoic terms in the passage open an explanation with the original word and its transliteration • At 8 a.m., a notification with an idea for the day that makes sense even without opening the app In the evening, your reflection • To think about: another angle on the day's theme, followed by the question of the day • Write or speak out loud, about the question or anything else, and everything stays encrypted on your device • Reply straight from the evening notification, without opening the app The path of the year 366 days in 12 themes, one a month, in a deliberate order: time, what is up to you, judgments, the passions, adversity, work, other people, desire and money, body and rest, practice, character and nature. Also in Lychnos • Archive and calendar with the days you read, your saved lines and your reflections • On this day, a year ago: what you wrote on the same date • Widgets with the line of the day and your last seven days • Any line as an image for the feed or stories • Your journal exported as PDF or Markdown • Light and dark themes The translations Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus appear in George Long's translation and Seneca's essays in Aubrey Stewart's, both in the public domain, and Seneca's letters in our own translation from the Latin. The original is always a tap away, so you can compare. Private by design • No account and no sign-up • No servers of our own: your journal stays on your device, encrypted • No ads, no analytics and no tracking • Your data only leaves the device when you turn on sync and backup, export or share The app does not use AI Lychnos does not write, summarize or answer your reflections. The thinking is yours. Free every day, one purchase to keep everything Free forever: today's passage with the original Greek or Latin, every day since you started, the widgets, sharing as an image, the morning and evening notifications and 3 written reflections a week. For the first 7 days, everything is unlocked, with no automatic charge. Lychnos Complete is a one-time purchase, with no subscription: • All 366 days, past and future • Unlimited written and spoken reflections • On this day, a year ago • Export as PDF or Markdown • Encrypted sync and backup in your own iCloud • Family Sharing • Choose your notification times Everything you write stays yours, with or without the purchase. Accessibility Works with VoiceOver, Voice Control and larger text, with contrast checked in the light and dark themes, and respects Reduce Motion. Lychnos is a philosophy journal and does not replace medical or psychological advice. In English, Portuguese and Spanish, following your device's language.