"[I]t is legitimate to infer in Marcus a visceral dislike of Hadrian and all his works. Hadrian had himself portrayed on his coins with grandiose titles: Clement, Indulgent, Just, Tranquil, Patient in Illness. Marcus made it clear that he despised such boastful imperial titles; the epithets he aspired to were those denoting a philosopher or a good man. And he loathed Hadrian for using murder and terror as an instrument of policy: Hadrian, it was clear, was a man who had no proper idea of friendship and knew neither its value nor its limits." - Frank McLynn, Marcus Aurelius: A Life
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