Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics)

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Note 6.4 – ‘Turned into vapour’ reflects the Stoic conflagration of the universe (see notes 2.14.2 and 5.13). ‘Scattered into atoms’ is the Epicurean view Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life. Marcus Aurelius must have been a prolific reader. He sure was a prolific note-taker, for these meditations are surely his study-notes(?- after all he was a 'philosopher' from age 12). I don't know of the publishing system at the time but where are the detailed footnotes and references? Marcus Aurelius is quite a wise man or at least he read enough wise men. He sure nailed it as far as boring a reader is concerned. No better way to establish your book's wisdom quotient. The man in charge of the great empire does not attach weight to the posthumous fame or slander that may haunt famous people both during their lifetime and after. Praise and calumny are equally considered vanities. Meditations is the reflection of a great man who has lived nearly two thousand years ago. But still, they ring so true. This shows that mankind and human nature have not advanced much over the years. Human thinking and needs are not so different from the time of Aurelius.

because most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, is this necessary…”In the UK there is a tradition for politicians, or at least for the posher type of politician, to study “PPE” or “Politics, Philosophy and Economics” at either Oxford or Cambridge University. A couple of ‘forks in the roads’ or some agonising, that I myself encountered during my read of this book, allowed me to apply logos, to follow nature’s path, and align to a sensible decision and approach. When I was a freshman in college, I lived in a dorm. My roommate was on the football team. He would write inspiring things on poster board and hang them in our room often on the ceiling above his bed to motivate himself. He favored straightforward sentiments like "never give up." Most people have heard that Aurelius counsels to expect the worst and you will never be disappointed. While that is part of what he has to say, it is not the most interesting of what he has to say. At his most thoughtful, Aurelius calls on us to ask the best of ourselves and never mind the behavior of others. His MEDITATIONS is a work of motivational advice to inspire us in the ways of stoicism. It is a manual for being a complete, mature adult. It is a guide for living a dignified, thoughtful life. Observațiile împăratului, scrise în limba greacă (și nu în latină), între anii 170 și 180, au fost tipărite abia în 1558, după un manuscris azi pierdut.

The time during which you are alive is very very brief compared to the time during which you did not exist and will not exist. An approach to a coherent, logos life to live by, is what permeates throughout the 12 books within Meditations. The thoughts of Marcus Aurelius recorded as private notes to himself and now widely known as Meditations shows us what a deep thinker and a great philosopher he has been. It is of little surprise that he had been one of the "five good Emperors" since he surely must have ruled the Empire by the principles reflected in his meditations. But it is surprising why no one has given heed to these advisory notes he is so painstakingly recorded since he is the last of the five good Emperors. It is strange how often good and just advice is overlooked. Fun Fact 2: Seneca tutored young Nero, yeah yeah - he stuffed up there, but let's be stoic about this and lay it to one side.If you read this book patiently, giving it enough time for the lightly mentioned yet very deeply meant to absorb thoroughly, you will find this to be one of the most enlightening experiences one will ever have. How Marcus Aurelius had thought of all this such a long time ago is unbelievable. I promise you, you will find wanting to highlight so many of it, if not everything. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius did not hang motivational posters for inspiration. Instead, he kept a journal in which he collected his thoughts about how to live well. MEDITATIONS is that book. How refreshing if more authors of self help books would confront squarely the central issue of our own mortality and our negative emotions of anger or frustration instead of forever hiding from these topics. All these and many other ideas are discussed in the book in a much more subtle way. I have just tried to translate them into the modern language. Don’t be disturbed. Uncomplicated yourself. Someone has done wrong...to himself. Something happens to you. Good. It was meant for you by nature, woven into the pattern from the beginning. Life is short. That’s all there is to say. Get what you can from the present - thoughtfully, justly. Unrestrained moderation.’

It's, of course, completely ridiculous to rate a nearly 2000 year old journal by a Roman emperor who never intended it to be read. As a book experience, the repetition of Aurelius's thoughts can be frustrating (the excellent introduction in this volume provides context for it, and for the concept of stoicism), but I found his challenges, his every-day worries remarkably human. When they're good, they're incredible: If someone can prove me wrong and show me my mistake in any thought or action, I shall gladly change. I seek the truth, which never harmed anyone: the harm is to persist in one's own self-deception and ignorance." Instead, the author believes in public duty and the necessity of doing the right things and being decent under any circumstances. One should do what he or she thinks right to do without expecting gratitude in response. Kindness to others and worthy deeds give a sense of fulfillment, which means that they are more than enough to make us happy. He also warns against being judgmental toward others. How can we judge others if we are not perfect ourselves? Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 CE) was the last in line of the five good Emperors (Nerva, Trajan, Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus). Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161-180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus's insights and advice-on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others-have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago.

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I don’t normally read self help books. Often they seem full of cliches left over from the Victorian era. And in this book, which may have been modeled on the writings of Alain De Botton, Marcus mixes in a lot of philosophy and this just isn’t to everyone’s taste. Just a few of the more poignant and meaningful quotations from this work (although I could have abandoned these and selected ten others which were just as good):