Meditations
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- Create Date：2022-06-25 00:21:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Marcus Aurelius
- ISBN：0812968255
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Matthew Farrell
，
A great place to start with Meditations is the uniqueness of its style。 Meditations is unlike any other book I have read as there is no story， no plot， no facts， no fiction， no non-fiction - it is simply the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius。 Why should anyone care about Marcus Aurelius？ Well， he was a Roman Emperor and part-time philosopher who had quite a few thoughts about Stoicism and life in general （and as a general， like of the Roman army when he was a young man）。Part of the majesty of Meditati A great place to start with Meditations is the uniqueness of its style。 Meditations is unlike any other book I have read as there is no story， no plot， no facts， no fiction， no non-fiction - it is simply the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius。 Why should anyone care about Marcus Aurelius？ Well， he was a Roman Emperor and part-time philosopher who had quite a few thoughts about Stoicism and life in general （and as a general， like of the Roman army when he was a young man）。Part of the majesty of Meditations is the "oldness" of it。 It is awe-inducing to read something that was written close to 2000 years ago that had to be copied at hand by one point to ensure its survival to a point in which it could be translated to English so a knucklehead like me could read it。 It is also incredibly humanizing to relate to many of the existential thoughts， anxieties， and fears of a man that couldn't be more unlike myself （or the majority of modern-day people）。 To top that feeling of wonderment off， Marcus was also an excellent orator and Gregory Hays translation was as poetic as it was stoic in modern English。 At least I hope so。 I don't speak Latin。At the same time， I think this book can be a bit。。。。 "self-helpy"。 For lack of a better way of describing it， the reader is essentially scrolling through Marcus Aurelius' private Twitter page that only his closest friends can see。 It's fascinating because it is the Twitter feed of a Roman Emperor from close to 2000 years ago。 Yet， there were times I had to put Mediations down as I knew that I was starting to just scroll instead of taking anything in - which was too ironic for a book so much about presence and mindfulness。 As Marcus likely did not wish for Meditations to be published， as well as the fact that I am a knucklehead， I recognize that this criticism is a bit unfair。。。 whatever though， it's my review lol。Everyone will find a "tweet" that hits them at a core level， however。 There are so many ideas packed into poetic snippets that I cannot imagine anyone would leave Meditations without a "catchphrase" that they truly enjoyed。 Many quotes I will be returning to for inspiration about how to handle a situation， which leads to my last， and what I think is the most important point。 Mediations is not a book about how to be happy。 Meditation is a book about how not to suffer。 At first glance， these appear to be similar， if not the same concept， but upon reading this book you will recognize what I mean。 Marcus Aurelius was primarily focused on how to cope with the frustration of others， the fear of death， and how one should behave properly to avoid social distress。 He gives great advice on how to avoid suffering， yet I found that some of these thoughts are geared more toward achieving apathy instead of joy。 Perhaps， he and I would argue over how one would define peace， as indifference or happiness。。。 。。。more
Julie Tomek
，
This read is a classic。 It is a good one to read for those that are seeking answers to leadership and simply a grounded perspective of life。 He sounded like such a down to earth leader of his time， and it makes me wonder what kind of different world we would be living in if this would have been required by other leaders since to have read and studied his work？ Marcus writes of his perspective of what life is， what it should be， how it should be viewed。 This is one I will return to time and time This read is a classic。 It is a good one to read for those that are seeking answers to leadership and simply a grounded perspective of life。 He sounded like such a down to earth leader of his time， and it makes me wonder what kind of different world we would be living in if this would have been required by other leaders since to have read and studied his work？ Marcus writes of his perspective of what life is， what it should be， how it should be viewed。 This is one I will return to time and time again to maybe gain another tidbit of wisdom that drops for me and sighs a-ha。 。。。more
J
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Liked the translation I read a few years ago more
Andrew Lagos
，
Just as the slave that stood behind the returning Roman conqueror whispered， “all glory is fading” into the returning hero’s ear to ground the victor， this books views of impermanence does the to the reader。 The private journal of a man whose struggles are still very much relevant and relatable after centuries。 Intended only as a private diary of an emperor struggling to come to terms with death and working to implement his stoic belief system into his life。 Marcus does not put on airs; his thou Just as the slave that stood behind the returning Roman conqueror whispered， “all glory is fading” into the returning hero’s ear to ground the victor， this books views of impermanence does the to the reader。 The private journal of a man whose struggles are still very much relevant and relatable after centuries。 Intended only as a private diary of an emperor struggling to come to terms with death and working to implement his stoic belief system into his life。 Marcus does not put on airs; his thoughts are raw and candid， and this only adds to the book’s appeal。 He set out to write a journal to remind himself to be a better man， and has since assuaged the anxieties of many by introducing them to a new worldview。 I’m so glad I read it。 。。。more
Jessica
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An absolutely excellent resource for anyone wishing to change their perspective on life and the things within our control。
UltiDK
，
Though at times excessive in apathy， Meditations is still a wise and insightful piece of work。 I do not agree with all of Marcus' ideas， but that is besides the point; it would be boring if every book turned out to be a written copy of my own wacky brain。 If I had to criticize anything， it is that Marcus repeats himself frequently throughout the 12 books， mostly without elaborating on the stated ideas。 This does work to remind the reader of the lessons， but it's hard to be amazed when he for the Though at times excessive in apathy， Meditations is still a wise and insightful piece of work。 I do not agree with all of Marcus' ideas， but that is besides the point; it would be boring if every book turned out to be a written copy of my own wacky brain。 If I had to criticize anything， it is that Marcus repeats himself frequently throughout the 12 books， mostly without elaborating on the stated ideas。 This does work to remind the reader of the lessons， but it's hard to be amazed when he for the 12th time presents the same notion， only written in slightly different prose。 Similarly， the books often come across as jumbled， jumping between different topics with little coherence。 In one paragraph， it may discuss not letting yourself be affected by the beliefs and actions of others; in the next， the cyclical nature of the universe。 Of course， it is important to remember that Meditations was never meant to be published， a series of reflections and scoldings written by Marcus only for himself。 With that in mind， it is impressive as a whole how accessible the writings are: my version comes with roughly 90 pages of notes， yet I never felt the need to consult them。 Overall， this is a book I could see myself returning to in times of distress。 I do not believe it to be the ultimate guide to life， but it holds many valuable lessons nonetheless。 。。。more
Vagner Stefanello
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"Decida por ser justo contigo em tudo o que fizeres。" "Decida por ser justo contigo em tudo o que fizeres。" 。。。more
Kølin Martin
，
Easily-handled philosophy that can be quickly implemented into one's own life。 Even if you already knew some the "obvious" tenets of these journal entries they can act as a reminder for a way to lead a less-angry， open life。 While I did get a little bored with the repetitive nature of the book， the original entries were never intended to be read， but rather act as their own reminder to Aurelius in the same way we can use this book today。 Easily-handled philosophy that can be quickly implemented into one's own life。 Even if you already knew some the "obvious" tenets of these journal entries they can act as a reminder for a way to lead a less-angry， open life。 While I did get a little bored with the repetitive nature of the book， the original entries were never intended to be read， but rather act as their own reminder to Aurelius in the same way we can use this book today。 。。。more
Martin
，
Probably a 3。5 star book， but I'll round up。 An ungenerous interpretation of this book is that it reads like the livejournal of an emo kid who just happened to live two thousand years ago and was leader of the most powerful empire on earth。It's true that Marcus doesn't really offer many new contributions to philosophy， but reading through his struggles to become a better person， often in conflict against himself， shines a very practical light on the reality of stoicism。 The final book， likel Probably a 3。5 star book， but I'll round up。 An ungenerous interpretation of this book is that it reads like the livejournal of an emo kid who just happened to live two thousand years ago and was leader of the most powerful empire on earth。It's true that Marcus doesn't really offer many new contributions to philosophy， but reading through his struggles to become a better person， often in conflict against himself， shines a very practical light on the reality of stoicism。 The final book， likely written towards the end of his life and focusing on acceptance of death and the unchanging course of time， was genuinely moving。"𝘎𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘪𝘯 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦; 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘥 𝘸𝘩𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘨𝘰 𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘵 𝘱𝘦𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶。” 。。。more
James Piss
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"the only roman emperor who was a philosopher" yeah uh huh sure thing。 also this guy committed genocide。 boat "the only roman emperor who was a philosopher" yeah uh huh sure thing。 also this guy committed genocide。 boat 。。。more
Billy
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For such a famous book I was surprised with how disappointed I was。 This was just a tough read for me。 It has gems sprinkled throughout but it’s ultimately the ramblings of an old man。 It was his diary never meant to be published。 To get the mostout of it I think it should be read slowly and contemplatively—not unlike poetry。 I suppose in some sense I was reading it incorrectly。 That said， a good chunk just doesn’t make a whole lot of sense or have any relevance for the average reader。
Christian Knobloch
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Certainly going to have to re-read
George Cook
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Possibly the oldest book I've ever read as it was written by the Roman Emperor， Marcus Aurelius， who lived from 121-180AD。 Its a book that is highly recommended by many authors i like and quoted in many other books I've read but I had struggled reading it a couple of times and for whatever reason had put it off until I was recommended trying the translation by Gregory Hays。 This translation was incredible easy to read and understand so highly recommend getting this edition。 One amazing thing abo Possibly the oldest book I've ever read as it was written by the Roman Emperor， Marcus Aurelius， who lived from 121-180AD。 Its a book that is highly recommended by many authors i like and quoted in many other books I've read but I had struggled reading it a couple of times and for whatever reason had put it off until I was recommended trying the translation by Gregory Hays。 This translation was incredible easy to read and understand so highly recommend getting this edition。 One amazing thing about this ancient text is that it was never intended to be published。 Marcus was writing these lessons to himself as he ran one of the biggest empires in the world during wars， revolts and pandemics。 Its incredible that the lessons he writes are still so relevant today such as avoid judging others and not to worry about things that are out of your control。 Thinking about how many people have read these lessons over the generations also adds another layer of meaning to the text。 Some of Marcus' lessons such as nothing anyone says can harm you， choose not to be harmed and you haven't been seems to be opposite to what some people think in modern times。 Today we hear that words， even silence， can be violence。 I remember hearing an example that if somebody was to insult you in a foreign language， would you be upset？ If you had no understanding of the words or their meaning？ Probably not which shows the harm isn't in the words themselves but our internal reaction to them。 As Marcus says， we cannot control the thoughts and behaviours of other people so dont waste time worrying about it instead focus on what you can control - your own thoughts and actions。 Its definitely a book I will reread in the future， I folded down many corners and highlighted many quotes to come back to at a later date。 I recommend doing the same if you read it because theres so many good points in here。 I suppose the reason that the book is still being read today is because these meditations and lessons are timeless and still resonate with a modern audience。 。。。more
Lidia
，
"Stoisz prosty lub cię prostują。""Boją się ludzie przemiany。 A co może dziać się bez prze miany？ Co jest milsze i zwyklejsze dla wszechnatury？ Możesz-że się wykąpać， jeżeli drzewo nie ulegnie zmianie？""Jaki twój zawód？ Być dobrym。 A jak dochodzi się do jak nie przez poznanie praw wszechnatury i cech swoistych ustroju ludzkiego？""A jeśli chcesz， przyjmij i dziesiąty dar od przewodnika Muz: szalone jest żądanie， by ludzie źli nie popełniali występków。 Kto tego chce， chce rzeczy niemożliwej。 A zgod "Stoisz prosty lub cię prostują。""Boją się ludzie przemiany。 A co może dziać się bez prze miany？ Co jest milsze i zwyklejsze dla wszechnatury？ Możesz-że się wykąpać， jeżeli drzewo nie ulegnie zmianie？""Jaki twój zawód？ Być dobrym。 A jak dochodzi się do jak nie przez poznanie praw wszechnatury i cech swoistych ustroju ludzkiego？""A jeśli chcesz， przyjmij i dziesiąty dar od przewodnika Muz: szalone jest żądanie， by ludzie źli nie popełniali występków。 Kto tego chce， chce rzeczy niemożliwej。 A zgodzić się na to， by wobec innych tak postępowali， i żądać， by wobec ciebie nie grzeszyli， byłoby nierozumne i tyrańskie。""Pytagorejczycy polecali z rana popatrzeć ku niebu， abyśmy sobie odświeżyli pamięć o tych istotach， które zawsze w myśl tych samych praw i zawsze w ten sam sposób dzieło swe czy nią， i o ich porządku， i czystości， i jasności， żadna bowiem zasłona nie zasłania gwiazdy。""Myśl o tym， w jakim stanie ciała i duszy powinna cię zabrać z sobą śmierć i jak krótkie jest życie， jak przepastna wiecz ność， przeszłość i przyszłość， jak krucha wszelka materia！"Wszystko polega na sądzie。 A ten zawisł od ciebie。 Usuń więc sąd， jeżeli chcesz， a jak żeglarzowi， który opłynął skałę， uśmiechnie ci się cisza， spokój i zatoka od fal bezpieczna。""Wyrzuć sąd - a jesteś uratowany。 A kto ci go wzbrania wyrzucić？""Do pogardy śmierci to najbardziej pobudza， że nawet ci， którzy uważają rozkosz za dobro， a przykrość za zło， przecież nią gardzą。""36。 Byłeś człowiecze obywatelem tego oto wielkiego państwa。 Cóż ci na tym zależy， czy lat pięć czy sto？ Co jest według praw， to jest dla wszystkich równe。 Cóż więc w tym strasznego， je żeli cię usuwa z granic państwa nie tyran， nie sędzia nie sprawiedliwy， ale natura， która cię w nie wprowadziła？ Tak jak aktora usuwa ze sceny pretor， który go przyjął。 „Alem nie odegrał pięciu aktów， tylko trzy"。 - Dobrze。 Ale w życiu trzy akty tworzą sztukę całą。 Bo kiedy się ma skończyć， wy znacza ów， kto przedtem zespół ułożył， a teraz rozpuszcza。 Ty zaś ani w jednym， ani w drugim udziału nie brałeś。 Odejdź więc łagodnie。 Łagodny bowiem jest i ten， kto cię zwalnia。"Niesamowite， ponadczasowe arcydzieło！ Jest to jedna z najbardziej wartościowych lektur w mojej dotychczasowej egzystencji。 Moje poglądy filozoficzne znacząco różnią się od tych Aureliusza， mimo to po przeczytaniu tej książki z każdą sekundą w głowie pojawia mi się coraz większa liczba przemyśleń。 Utwór ten otworzył mi w duszy wiele drzwi， o których istnieniu nawet nie wiedziałam。 Nie spodziewałam się， że ta lektura zrobi na mnie aż tak oszałamiające wrażenie。 Serdecznie zachęcam do jej przeczytania średnio zaawansowanych na ścieżce filozofii。 Myślę， że dla początkujących utwór może być za trudny i na pewno nie wyniosą z niego to co jest możliwe。 。。。more
Nikola Dyulgerov
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An interesting book that almost everyone should read once in their life。 It shows a different perspective of life。 A vision of life concerned about the present time， that in fact nothing really matters。 It is also interesting how a good man should act for the benefit of the society thorough the cult of the gods， the reason and respect to the other equals
Anik Dutta Choudhury
，
Great book with great advice！ However a not-so-modern translation makes it very hard to read。
Atrishi
，
Meditations is not a book but a collection of thoughts that provide the deepest sense of clarity and insight。I think it is a book that reminds us of what life is。 It provides a certain clarity， the kind of clarity that can either paralyze us into inaction or can change the way we perceive what is important and help us live a life on our own terms。One must keep coming back to this book from time to time， in search of meaning and reminders that can make life a little bit easier to live。
Zak Henry
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A couple gems but mostly nothing that shouldn’t be self evident。 Very well off white boy musings in that if you work hard and actually meet people you should know most of what’s in here。
Ben Brooks
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Solid hike read。 The parallels with Buddhism， which was flourishing in India at the time of this book’s writing， were uncanny。 Lots of practical self help and a solid foundational text on stoicism。
Ivon'T
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Es muy bueno para quien siga la filosofía del libro， posee muchas enseñanzas y formas en las que se puede aplicar el estoicismo en la vida cotidiana。 Incluso para quien no comprenda muy bien el tema， la forma en que el libro está escrito no se hará difícil para el lector。
Michael Vagi
，
Words from a kind friend
Beth Barnett
，
In a nutshell:Appreciate the connectedness of all things as all a part of the oneness of the natural order， and appreciate the beauty of the mundane in life （agreed）; you will die and then those who mourn you will die and all will be forgotten。 We are just specs in the universe and in time （also， agreed…）There’s good stuff in here， wisdom from the 2nd century that is still poignant to our contemporary minds and lives， and definitely worth reading and pondering。 But in terms of the content and fo In a nutshell:Appreciate the connectedness of all things as all a part of the oneness of the natural order， and appreciate the beauty of the mundane in life （agreed）; you will die and then those who mourn you will die and all will be forgotten。 We are just specs in the universe and in time （also， agreed…）There’s good stuff in here， wisdom from the 2nd century that is still poignant to our contemporary minds and lives， and definitely worth reading and pondering。 But in terms of the content and form， this book is often repetitive。 I understand that this book is a translation of a journal-like set of writings by Aurelius， which is why its structure is as it is， but after having read it in this format， I would prefer to have read a re-organized Mediations in redux that removed the repetition of the same ideas and organized the same themes and thoughts in a better order。 。。。more
Eli
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Learned a lot about that life is to short， see succes the same way you see setbacks， they are part of everything
Sandra Gibbons
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My first dive into the Stoics， which was worth it。 There’s something romantic about reading what is essentially the 2，000-year-old diary of one of history’s greatest thinkers。 And seeing how the ideas communicated are still very much alive throughout the different philosophies and studies of psychology and various artistic works of modernity。 Seems to support his observation that literally everything in existence is cyclical—the same stuff over and over again。Though I didn’t agree with every las My first dive into the Stoics， which was worth it。 There’s something romantic about reading what is essentially the 2，000-year-old diary of one of history’s greatest thinkers。 And seeing how the ideas communicated are still very much alive throughout the different philosophies and studies of psychology and various artistic works of modernity。 Seems to support his observation that literally everything in existence is cyclical—the same stuff over and over again。Though I didn’t agree with every last one of Marcus’s leanings—especially those on books， music， dancing， sex—even the brief snatches of ideas I felt were almost Panglossian， I thought the collection was deeply reflective and valuable despite being a little melancholic and then impersonal at times。 But again， it’s stoicism， so no surprises there。 I prefer a life in which I can emote passion or anger or sadness and not just live in logic， but I do see the argument for mastering one’s thoughts and emotions。My main takeaways are the importance of living in the present， realizing only you have the ability to allow others to hurt you， and understanding that in any instance you have the power to change your life。The essence of god and the human soul are things I think about every day， so if you’re a bit existential， too， I recommend you read Meditations。I’ve made my reading highlights available for any who want them— 。。。more
Elizabeth
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Arkan Mylos
，
This is the best translation of Meditations。 A book filled to the brim with wisdom， I would recommend it to everyone。Such a wonderful book， I thank Marcus Aurelius for awakening in me a hunger for Philosophy。
Seamus Hogan
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A stoic classic。 Shun fame and glory， strive to be kind and gentle to all。 As relevant now as it was to Ancient man。 A fine read and one to cherish and read again when you are in need of strengthening your volition。
Grace B。
，
For my earthly nature comes from the earth， and that which is watery from another element， and that which is hot and fiery from some peculiar source。 For nothing comes out of nothing， nor nothing returns to non-existence， and so the intellectual part comes from a source。Now this is a book everyone should read。 Marcus Aurelius gives proper guidance and practical advice on how to calm the mind， how not to reach in mindlessly in tough situations， how to keep your balance around difficult people， ho For my earthly nature comes from the earth， and that which is watery from another element， and that which is hot and fiery from some peculiar source。 For nothing comes out of nothing， nor nothing returns to non-existence， and so the intellectual part comes from a source。Now this is a book everyone should read。 Marcus Aurelius gives proper guidance and practical advice on how to calm the mind， how not to reach in mindlessly in tough situations， how to keep your balance around difficult people， how to help people， how to help yourself。And I want to put more emphasis on practical。 Here you can find solutions to the torments of the mind。 Exercise the best skill of all - learn from others' experience。Mothers， fathers， this is perhaps the most crucial book on how to raise sensible people， as it's a flawless moral compass。 Let it guide you。I want to finish with that it was a pleasant surprise to find out how many similarities Stoicism and Jainism have。 。。。more
Josefa De la Barra
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Siendo completamente honesta， creo que ningún review será capaz， o ha sido capaz， de hacerle justicia a la calidad de este libro。 Ni aunque me supiese todo el vocabulario español， sería capaz de describir lo magnífico que es esta obra。 Dicho esto， este pequeño libro se ganó un puesto muy importante en mi vida y además， en mi lista de libros favoritos。Una de las cosas que más amo es que me haya puesto en debate; que me halla provocado querer discutir con el autor， pelear ideas， reflexionar sobre Siendo completamente honesta， creo que ningún review será capaz， o ha sido capaz， de hacerle justicia a la calidad de este libro。 Ni aunque me supiese todo el vocabulario español， sería capaz de describir lo magnífico que es esta obra。 Dicho esto， este pequeño libro se ganó un puesto muy importante en mi vida y además， en mi lista de libros favoritos。Una de las cosas que más amo es que me haya puesto en debate; que me halla provocado querer discutir con el autor， pelear ideas， reflexionar sobre aspectos tan cotidianos que ni yo misma me percato de que están ahí。 Sin embargo， me encuentro en una relación de amor-odio con Aurelio， que es más que nada por sus contantes contradicciones y obsesiones。Cuánto daría poder viajar en el tiempo para poder sentarme con él y charlar sobre pensamientos filosóficos。Hay una frase de este libro que me encantó —junto a muchísimos otros más— el cual es: «（…） y acuérdate que cada uno no vive más que el presente， indeciblemente pequeño。 El resto de la vida， o ya se acabó de vivir， o es incierto»。 Cómo pueden ver， esta obra tiene de gran enfoque el “bien vivir”， individualmente y colectivamente。 No obstante， uno mismo tiene que descubrir en sus páginas qué tanto nos sirven esos consejos en nuestra vida personal。Para finalizar， este libro que se lo recomiendo a todo ser humano; todes deberían de leerlo， así de simple， sin excepciones。 Personalmente lo considero un tesoro literario， y me brindó una experiencia intelectual increíblemente placentera; aprecio enormemente las obras que me brindan la oportunidad de pensar y criticar lo que se encuentra plasmado en las hojas， más que aquellas que sólo me permiten admirar una historia y tragar lo que hay ahí。 。。。more
Mishal Cheema
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