A peaceful, thought provoking read. ( )

ISBN: 9780679642602, Modern Library hardcover translated by Gregory Hayes

Wasn't what I was expecting given the book's reputation. Meditations is best described as more or less random scribblings that Marcus Aurelius put down in his private diaries, and was almost certainly not intended for anybody other than him to see. Lots of ideas and concepts are repeated quite frequently, and though it's in twelve 'books' the ideas aren't arranged in any particular logical order or with any particular theming.

Fascinating read, to see how people of the past thought and what they valued, but personally I don't think I got much useful philosophy out of it. ( )

Read the Gregory Hayes translation.
---
Oops. Didn't see that note-to-self when I got Maxwell Staniforth's from the library. I wish I had; I do not like Staniforth's at all. Other things make me prioritize this less, as I try to read it. Wife praised for being submissive. Belief in god. Diss of books (though, as this was apparently a private journal, he was just telling himself to get his nose out of the books and spend more time irl, which may not be bad advice for some of us)...

I did like the one about people who are busy for the sake of being busy. If you're not actually getting important things done, don't waste time pretending you and your time are so important.

"Treat with respect the power you have to form an opinion."

March 2024. dnf 26/164

I was given a copy of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius by a family member for Christmas in 2021 and it contains the spiritual reflections of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius from 180AD. I'll admit it was a little intimidating, difficult to read at times and the sentiments became repetitive but I’m pleased to have read it.

Meditations is a collection of personal thoughts divided into 12 books although I wasn't able to discern any clear theme or order to any of the books. Marcus Aureliuis had a staunch belief in the gods and that the soul lives on after death. Believing all things have a natural beginning and an end, he also held the view that the gods would never give a man more than he could endure.

Reading like a series of dot points from a self help book, here's an example of advice from early on in the book that we can still apply today:

"Do not waste the remaining part of your life in thoughts about other people, when you are not thinking with reference to some aspect of the common good. Why deprive yourself of the time for some other task? I mean, thinking about what so-and-so is doing, and why, what he is saying or contemplating or plotting, and all that line of thought, makes you stray from the close watch on your own directing mind." Page 17

The author never expected his work to be published which explains the lack of order or cohesion to his thoughts. Instead, these writings are personal reminders to himself on how to 'do better' as we say today. It includes sage advice for the ages, like this:

"The best revenge is not to be like your enemy." Page 46

Reading Meditations is akin to reading a series of distilled diary entries or prompts on how to lead a principled life and be a good example to others, and included suggestions like this one:

"So keep yourself simple, good, pure, serious, unpretentious, a friend of justice, god-fearing, kind, full of affection, strong for your proper work. Strive hard to remain the same man that philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, look after men. Life is short. The one harvest of existence on earth is a godly habit of mind and social action." Page 51

Marcus Aurelius mentions the duty of man many times in his writings, and believes strongly that to be a good person you need to contribute positively to the community, best summarised in this observation:

"What does not benefit the hive does not benefit the bee either." Page 57

I found some of his opinions harsh, particularly his thoughts about death and sleep:

"When you are reluctant to get up from your sleep, remind yourself that it is your constitution and man's nature to perform social acts, whereas sleep is something you share with dumb animals. Now what accords with the nature of each being is thereby the more closely related to it, the more in its essence, and indeed the more to its liking." Page 73

Marcus Aurelius didn't appear to fear death, quite the opposite actually. He wrote frequently of facing the fact death is inevitable and advising not to worry about it. Instead he encouraged embracing death although there's no way of knowing if he was able to do this himself when his time came.

"What dies does not pass out of the universe. If it remains here and is changed, then here too it is resolved into the everlasting constituents, which are the elements of the universe and of you yourself. These too change, and make no complaint of it." Page 74

If I had to summarise Meditations, I would say the overall sentiment is: life is short, we will all die soon and be forgotten so work hard, obey the gods and be an upstanding man.

"Work. Don't work as a miserable drudge, or in any expectation of pity or admiration. One aim only: action or inaction as civic cause demands." Page 86

I wonder what the author would think of today's society and work ethic. What's clear in his work is his recognition of the passage of time, and how quickly we die and will soon after be forgotten. Perhaps he would be pleased to know that centuries later people still study his work, but most of us can never hope to achieve this type of legacy.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius was repetitive and a tough read given the translation, beliefs of the times and the dot point nature begging an overarching structure that just wasn't there. In this case, the sense of accomplishment I feel after reading Meditations is greater than my rating, but 'I make no complaint of it' and am more than satisfied. ( )

This is really my first introduction to Stoicism and I really enjoyed it. This is a quick read but is densely packed with nuggets of wisdom and thoughts on how to live. It is pretty accessible too and never felt too heady for a book of philosophical thoughts by Marcus Aurelius.

My two cents: worry more about yourself and what you can control and less about the things and people outside of your control. Much of what ales or vexes us is in our own heads. ( )

Since Marcus Aurelius did not intend to publicize his notations, it'd be folly not to disregard its repetitive nature toward the end or not to acknowledge its profoundness. Meditations is replete with applicable wisdom for all ages. Marcus will surely improve your life no matter if you've just been brought into this world, or whether you're about to leave it.

Moreover, as a quote collector, I was surprised to discover that a significant amount of quotes I've come across over the years clearly trace back to this book. To realize that all these great thinkers have read it, and that I have had the privilege of doing so too, is amazing. ( )

Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, warrior and philosopher epitomizes stoicism in his beliefs. Still relevant to modern times, Aurelius reminds us that we are in control of our thoughts, not the other way around. Excellent read. ( )

Marcus Aurelius had me on his team from the outset until he wrote in Book 2, “But cast away the thirst after books, that thou mayest not die murmuring.” My first reaction: the nerve of creating a book, then. Then I recalled that this book is a collection of notes to himself. Rather than asserting that any well-read person dies murmuring, he’s steeling himself against regret that he could not lead the retired life of a philosopher but that it was his lot to be emperor. That being so, he resolved to carry it out for the general good and in line with the Stoic principles he imbibed from his youth.

Moreover, even an emperor can philosophize: “Where a man can live, there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace; — well then, he can also live well in a palace.”

And what a time to be emperor. These notes were written in stolen moments while campaigning on the fringes of the Roman Empire as the Pax Romana began to crumble. The circumstances of their composition help explain the loose organization and repetition; he did not prepare these for publication. We are listening over his shoulder as he admonishes and exhorts himself. His words attest to his moral seriousness and awareness of falling short of his rigorous standards.

In Book 8, Marcus draws an analogy between an arrow and the mind, asserting that both move straight, although in a different manner. These jottings are evidence that this is not really so with the mind.

Despite the seemingly random nature of the collection, it does have overwhelming recurrent themes. Paramount: the need to cultivate equanimity in the face of mortality. Marcus believes in God/the gods (he seems to use the terms interchangeably), yet not in any afterlife. Other emphases are the need to follow the “ruling part,” as Long translates the Greek term used by Stoics to denote reason, and to remember that the opinion of others is only that, opinion.

When Marcus returns to the consideration that even an emperor can be a philosopher, he writes, “How plain does it appear that there is not another condition of life so well suited for philosophizing as this in which thou now happenest to be.” If it’s true of him, it can also be true for us since, as he writes, “How close is the kinship between a man and the whole human race, for it is a community, not of a little blood or seed, but of intelligence.”

This universal applicability helps explain why these deeply personal musings have been widely read through the centuries. ( )

The most interesting thing about this is how long ago it was written and how well it still holds up. That said, it is repetitive and sort of obvious, at least if you're of a certain age. There's a lot of philosophy espoused without any insight into what led to the production of said Meditations. If you get a version with recaps, that's all you need to read to glean the most essential bits. Fast read, but hardly life changing. ( )

Aurelius detested his mortal form and those of others but he had many good insights. ( )

Meditações, clássico escrito por Marco Aurélio, traz reflexões que servem como exercícios espirituais em tempos turbulentos, conselhos a si mesmo que o imperador buscou registrar e cujas ideias ecoam até hoje.

O pensamento estoico, longe de ser mero objeto de estudo de helenistas, encontra-se mais vivo do que nunca na sociedade contemporânea. Seus propagadores, como Sêneca e Marco Aurélio, chegam a uma nova geração de leitores aproximando a filosofia da vida prática.
Esta nova tradução do clássico Meditações oferece grande precisão linguística, permitindo decifrar as nuances de uma obra complexa que conduz o leitor a uma reflexão sobre a impermanência da vida e a nossa relação com a natureza e o cosmos

The translation was less elegant than its english counterpart found on Gutenberg.org. Nevertheless the introductory notes were insightful and interesting. It was also funny to see how Aurelius' philosophy is quite similar to buddhist philosophy and psychology. ( )

I've read "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius sometime in the Autumn of 2007 after returning to Aberystwyth, Wales from my travels. Given that since June 2007 I was in a deep psychotic state, and just returned from a trans-siberian journey to Mongolia, I wanted to order my embattled mind. Voices, second sight, psychological torment. I was barely capable of reading and making sense of what I read back in the days, after psychoses erupted. Aurelian stoicism helped me cope with this hell, the amusing part is that I got a yellow piece of paper on which I wrote "stoicism applied" and stuck it to my forehead and then paraded through the streets of Aberystwyth raising some interest and mockery throughout. Years later, in 2016 I was suddenly reminded of this reading, I saw a Thyrsus and a Caduceus in the night-sky of Częstochowa, where I visited my then-girlfriend and mistress. The kitchen of that flat was flooded with divine light, and the spirit incarnated into me, as I felt divine pride, great celestial intellect and a commanding paternal tone in a voiceless, silent language. I silently thanked for the consolation that book brought to me in 2007. Then I approached my girl who was sitting next to her laptop and said: "He visited us", she asked: "Whom?", I said "The Emperor visited us". She said: "I'm busy, don't trouble me right now" and went on watching on her youtube videos. Aurelion Therion, the Beast of Solar God was a Pater Patrum in Saturnine rank, a Drakon, and a Pontifex, Julian the Theurgist was a soldier and a magician in his army on Marcomannian campaigns. "Memento Mori" - a phrase coined by him, I might add - "Invictii Genii". ( )

Didn't finish the whole thing for various reason but got the idea from the first few books. Mostly just repeating basic ideas about right living that are never specified, how people shouldn't complain about their lives because it's right that they're where they are. It was philosophy of acceptance but without any details that made it interesting and with nothing to say to someone who's in a crappy place. Just dull, repetitive and doesn't say anything interesting. ( )

A man once told me that philosophy is where good thinking and good writing goes to die. And for about 95% of all philosophy books I have read, he is correct. This however falls into that 5% that actually has something to contribute. Recommended. ( )

good annotations

"Meditations" is a collection of aphorisms, musings, quotes, and, essentially, diary entries from a Roman emperor who would have been one of Plato's Philosopher-Kings. Concerned greatly with his philosophy (a Stoicism mixed with other influences) and how he should live his life, these are essentially notes and reflections meant for himself. As such, it must be admitted that there is quite a lot of repetition here. In some sense that is actually not bad: it becomes quite obvious that Marcus Aurelius struggled often and greatly to live up to the values and ethics he believed in.

Note: this is not the kind of book you sit down and read through, but rather pick through over days. If you do try to just run through it the above-mentioned repetition will somewhat ruin it. ( )

Maybe I don't need to know how to live a good life as a Roman nobleman. A classic of stoicism. ( )

Possibly 2.5 Stars. Defintly requires a reread with more in-depth analysis and attention. ( )

Repetitive. Great insofar as it anticipates pessimism. Stoicism in itself is an admirable approach to life, but one quickly gets the feeling that it isn't altogether very difficult for a wildly rich ruler of the world's largest empire to say "The bad things in life don't really matter because they can't really get to them unless you let them" or "Pleasure isn't something to be striven after." Tell that to the poor man who has one problem after another and clutches at any kind of pleasure as relief from the horror of existence. ( )

I read this book because I have read a few books by the contemporary self-help guru Ryan Holiday. I've enjoyed his books because I don't find them cultish as he draws his inspiration from the Stoics and other more contemporary individuals whom I hold in esteem. I saw this book and wanted to read the source of Holiday's inspiration. I have never been interested in reading anything by ancient Greeks (Marcus Aurelius lived in the second century), but I found this book fairly easy to read. I made the decision to read the Introduction after I read the book's narrative as I am fairly ignorant of ancient Greek history. I found that was an excellent way for me to enjoy the book a bit better.

Of the contents itself, I found many interesting and useful suggestions. I realize that what Marcus Aurelius wrote was merely notes as a guide for himself and never meant as a publication for others to read. His suggestion that I found most useful personally was to work toward a sense of calmness. The theme I had the most difficulty with was to not fear death. I can't say I'm there yet or ever while be. I enjoyed learning about Stoicism (and even where the word stoic came from). I am glad the opportunity presented itself by coincidence to read this book as I got my copy from a fellow Bookcrosser at a recent book festival. ( )

Difficile dire cose nuove e sensate rispetto a un classico del pensiero occidentale. Da parte mia, giungo molto tardi a leggerlo (soprattutto avendo fatto studi classici e filosofici), traendone in ogni caso piacere e un ampio numero di riflessioni sull'approccio etico alla quotidianità, dalle relazioni personali di ogni giorno fino all'ambito lavorativo. Il libro si legge rapidamente e con scorrevolezza, fin dal primo capitolo dedicato ai debiti di riconoscenza rispetto a quanto appreso nella propria vita. Ma è anche un testo cui tornare, con calma, più volte nel corso del tempo. ( )

I think that this collection of thoughts has to be read in context, as a common place book for the author, and not as a systematic philosophy. As James Mustich says in his book “1,000 Books to Read before you Die”, this can read “like a twenty first century self-help book”, but “the aphoristic reflections ... are both consoling and inspiring”.
To the extent that I think about philosophy, these thoughts often chime with my own, except for the assumption of rational thinking and the acceptance that everything happens for the best, for example see book 4:9-10:
9. It was for the best. So Nature had no choice but to do it.
10. That every event is the right one. Look closely and you’ll see. Not just the right one overall, but right. As if someone had weighed it out with scales.
The collection can be repetitive and morbid, but is also fascinating; to read thoughts from over 1,800 years ago that sound current (although this observation is dependent upon the translation).

I am currently also reading Rage by Bob Woodward, and I think a lot of the military personnel who were asked to serve the US in the Trump administration were probably more than a little conversant with the stoicism of the Meditations.

In respect of the translation by Gregory Hays, there were Americanisms, and I was flummoxed by the meaning of “gussy up”, an American colloquial term I had heard before, but had to google to understand!

Book 4:43
Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone. ( )

I first read Meditations in 2015. I really liked it and was awed at how the ideas written by Marcus Aurelius two millennia ago, felt so true and on point in our times.

On this second reading though, almost five years later, and after so many things have changed in my life since then; I've come to truly appreciate the wisdom of Aurelius. He's showed me how we are not so different, a Roman Emperor and the most powerful man on earth at the time and me, just an ordinary man two thousand years later. There were so many passages I highlighted and notes I made on the margins and in between blank spaces in my hardcover edition. Really contemplating the ideas he wrote to himself and sometimes being struck at how much his words resonated. Without any doubt in my mind, an outstanding and inspiring man. I will definitely be returning many times to my copy of this book (Hays translation), to center myself as I continue to find my way in this chaotic life and strive to be a better man, just like Marcus Aurelius did. ( )

Clásico del estoicismo y la vida mínima que invita a la reflexión en las decisiones diarias. Muy recomendable para los tiempos de abundancia y desidia. ( )