Marcus Aurelius (among others), is quoted extensively in both The Sparrow and Children of God by Mary Doria Russell. I decided I had better reread the philosopher-emperor and I happened on this at the local library. The introduction gives a history of the Stoic philosophy and a history of Marcus Aurelius. I think in The Sparrow one gets a little of the life of trials and tribulations of the philosopher in a couple of the characters. It must have been rough to have had all the advantages of being...

Has your rule been literally plagued by disease? Have you been the object of adoration, but also of hatred? Has the market devastated your 401(k)? Ever lose a loved one? Miss your train to Great Neck? Had to fend off invaders from the east? Whatever the setback, Marcus Aurelius will get you through it. A cornerstone of Stoicism, his meditations can help retrain your brain to reign in emotions and act – or not – with a clear eye. Stoicism is all about being impervious to life’s vicissitudes. "Be

Marcus Aurelius wrote these thoughts for himself, but his meditations remain insightful and helpful centuries later. There should be no doubt: When you need a self-help book, go for the dead authors first! They've stood the test of time.

Depressing and repetitive, but useful and practical. I found myself doggy-earing (yes, I do that) many pages. This is the kind of book you can open up to any page and find advice on whatever problem you are having at the moment because it deals with one's perception of things rather than the actual events that are occurring.

This is my second time reading this. I gave it 3 stars the first time, but now I have a better understanding of Stoicism and the ability to apply its concepts, so I can see that it deserves 5. Aurelius is widely regarded as the greatest Stoic philosopher, and I'd say he deserves that title, because he really guides you in how to handle stressful situations like he had as an emperor. After reading this for the second time, I've been been more successful in applying Stoicism to my life than ever b...

Bought a hardcover version of this years ago and read it before I had experienced enough ups and downs to appreciate it. Came across it again on iPad iBooks and dove back it. If I were better with schedules and willpower and such, I'd commit to reading it annually on my birthday -- the way better men than I claim to read Ulysses or Brothers Karamazov on theirs. Anyway: good lessons in here, some Oprah-style short.

A must-read for all. Quoting the testimonial on the cover of the book "Set aside all your contemporary self-help books and read this classic slowly, in pieces, at your leisure. It is beautifully translated, presented, and introduced. It is calming, solid, and useful. A book to keep at hand, ready for emergencies." - Thomas Moore --A strange peace has settled over me after reading this book. "oh, so that's living." I thought. Some of my favorite aphorisms: (3.4) "Do not waste what remains of your...

The four stars come from the content, which is Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius' meditations on life -- in fact, the title of this book is usually "Meditations." But Jacob Needleman and John Piazza have, for some reason, decided to eliminate much of the content of the original work, apparently in an effort to make it clearer and easier for 21st century readers.That's a noble goal, I guess, but enough has been left out that it makes me wary of what's been left in. In other words, is this really Marc...

A very readable new translation and excellent selection of Marcus Aurelius's writings. It's a smooth and insightful read that also has a wonderful calming effect. If many of these aphorisms were presented to the average person without telling who wrote them or from what historical culture it emerged, identifying it as the work of a Roman emperor would never be guessed. The running theme of man's stewardship over his own psyche and the triviality of anything outside of it is something you see in

This is the kind of book that you'll want to read daily, then re-read monthly or yearly. There are so many morsels of wisdom and knowledge in here that it is just too much for one sitting. It is like having access to the private thoughts of a Roman Emperor. Except, he didn't know anybody would be reading it 2000 years later so its as honest, raw and rich as could possibly be.

This book was not eye opening the way I expected it to be. It was rather plain, and told me things that I feel like I’ve already known to do or not do. I should focus on myself and not be concerned with the affairs of others, bear the burdens that the universe has placed upon me, and strive to be the best person I can. That’s all this book really said truthfully. The beauty in it was how Aurelius expressed himself and how he reached these conclusions as to how to conduct himself in life. He view...

12.4 "I have often been amazed at how every person loves himself more than he loves others yet places less value on his own judgment of himself than on the judgments of others concerning him. "12.21 "Consider that before long you will be nobody and nowhere; nor will even one of the things you now see continue to exist. Nor even one of those who now live. For it is the nature of all things to change, to move, and to perish so that another may come to be in their place."It was quite a beautiful an...

Not as stirring as my favorite translation (that'd be Hays' from 2002) but very clear, very accessible, and true to author's intent. The tone throughout is earnest and the writing is lean and compelling. Bookending the main text is an impassioned, reverent introduction and an illuminating glossary of terms to refine your understanding of key concepts throughout. The translators took great care to create a context for this version.Purists take note: some sections have been omitted or excised wher...

"What could be clearer? No other life is more appropriate for the practice of philosophy than that life which you now happen to be living."

I heard about this title after listening to Jim Mattis discuss how he was influenced by the book on the show Sunday morning. He spoke so well about it that I decided I wanted to read it. It was an interesting read and reminded me of other books like Seat of the Soul and Buddhist principles. Even though the book did not tell me anything I had not read about before, I still appreciated the gentle reminder of how important it is to be human and stay focused on improving ones soul. Aurelius also dis...

Of all the words I thought I was going to choose to describe this book, I didn't think 'adorable' would be one of them. And really, it isn't. But it does have sort of the aura, the fragrance the... je ne sais quoi, if you will, of adorable. I am absolutely reacting to this having just lived through fifteen years of the ironic jokes of the aughts and also the poses of the '90s that I was too young to really do, but absorbed by osmosis. But if someone tried this today, it would be a sitcom episode...

I read this together with the full version in the Harvard Classics Volume 2. This translation definitely helped my understanding on some of the paragraphs. As this is not a book written for an audience, it can get repetitive as with all the diary-style books (or maybe I am just an impatient reader).Marcus Aurelius started the book by writing about people in his life and what he had learned from them. I felt a little impatient to read at first but later, when I came across a paragraph "When thou

You know how it is when a musician who only had an album or two of material starts to look less impressive than otherwise when one has an essential greatest hits collection that makes a sketchy career look even sketchier? That is what we are dealing with here. I have mixed feelings about Marcus Aurelius and the way that so many people try to paint him as a particularly insightful ruler and moral exemplar when he was definitely someone far more questionable than is often seen as the case. When on...

This edition seems well executed in translation, readability, and introductory context. As for the meditations themselves, I remembered them being more thought provoking. There were several ideas that made me stop and think, or that I made note of as worth coming back to. There were a lot of others that weren't so inspiring. Aurelius certainly was an interesting character: truly a philosopher king. His closing thought in book one is both interesting and humorous. "I am also thankful that, once I...

I've recently been semi-randomly stumbling upon the philosophy of Stoicism, and so decided to check out Marcus Aurelius' Meditations as this collection is more frequently known.The only reason why I went for this particular translation/edition is because it was the only one available in ebook format from my county's library system on the Overdrive app, and I wanted to try something out on my new Kindle Paperwhite. Sounds like there are plenty of translations to pick from, with this particular ve...