Las Meditaciones de Marco Aurelio: Filosofía Romana
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- Author：Marco Aurelio
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Summary
Written in Greek， without any intention of publication， by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher， the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius （AD 121-180） offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe。 Ranging from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation， they cover such diverse topics as the nature of moral virtue， human rationality， divine providence， and Marcus' own emotions。 But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement， in developing his beliefs Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection of extended meditations and short aphorisms that has been consulted and admired by statesmen， thinkers and readers through the centuries。
Reviews
Donniesands
，
I purchased the Annotated Edition with Robin Waterfield。 His notes and preamble significantly improved my experience of reading Meditations。 This book is an excellent window into the application of Stocisim in Marcus Aurelius’ life。 Some of it I completely disagreed with and find banal advice。 While other parts of it were profound and could be life changing advice for the uninitiated。
Vasyl Fil
，
Маєш розум？ - Маю。 - То чому його не вживаєш？ А якщо він таки робить своє діло - то чого ж іще хочеш？
Cristian Condurache
，
Background info on Marcus Aurelius's life and how these writings came to be is a must before reading this。 This was an extremely interesting and helpful read to me。 Although some passages （or exercises） start to be repetitive after some point， these writings were meant as an exercise for the author， who never intended to publish these or have someone else read them。 Background info on Marcus Aurelius's life and how these writings came to be is a must before reading this。 This was an extremely interesting and helpful read to me。 Although some passages （or exercises） start to be repetitive after some point， these writings were meant as an exercise for the author， who never intended to publish these or have someone else read them。 。。。more
Viktorija Mockutė
，
Knyga， kurios neįmanoma perskaityti per kartą。 Kiekvieną žodį norisi apmąstyti， suprasti įsisąmoninti。
Will Dorrell
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A classic piece of stoic philosophising by a Roman Emperor。As a philosophy book it is so many aphorisms。 Some of them are pretty reasonable life advice， don't listen to fools， be true to yourself， the only thing you can control is your internals etc。 I liked thatI thought this book was worth a read partly because it has these pithy bits of advice。 Moreso because it was wild to me that a legitimate emperor of ancient Rome was thinking about this stuff。 He was worried about life and how to live it A classic piece of stoic philosophising by a Roman Emperor。As a philosophy book it is so many aphorisms。 Some of them are pretty reasonable life advice， don't listen to fools， be true to yourself， the only thing you can control is your internals etc。 I liked thatI thought this book was worth a read partly because it has these pithy bits of advice。 Moreso because it was wild to me that a legitimate emperor of ancient Rome was thinking about this stuff。 He was worried about life and how to live it， needed support， found it in philosophy， and outlines it for you here。 Ain't that great？ A huge equalising thing。Also， there's a lot of focus on death。 Personally， I think this is healthy， but I do find it surprisingly lacking around me。 I wonder why the big difference between my life and his writings？ Is he just older？ 。。。more
nina okechukwu
，
i told my coworker i was reading this book and he looked at me and said， “are you ok？” tbh
Hassan AlHassan
，
Book 1“He took reasonable care of his body’s health， not as one who was greatly attached to life， nor out of regard to personal appearance， nor yet in a careless way， but do that， through his own attention， he very seldom stood in need of the physicians art or of medicine or external applications”Book 2“Through not observing what is in the mind of another a man has seldom been seen to be unhappy; but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must necessity be unhappy”Book 3“Be ch Book 1“He took reasonable care of his body’s health， not as one who was greatly attached to life， nor out of regard to personal appearance， nor yet in a careless way， but do that， through his own attention， he very seldom stood in need of the physicians art or of medicine or external applications”Book 2“Through not observing what is in the mind of another a man has seldom been seen to be unhappy; but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must necessity be unhappy”Book 3“Be cheerful also， and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give。 A man then must stand erect， not be kept erect by others” 。。。more
Nadia Redhuan
，
When I first read the book， I thought it was a 5 🌟 Almost all the lines were spot on to me， especially when I was just going through some drama in life。 Then I went on a bit of a hiatus with it because I was occupied with work。 Since then， picking it up again was difficult。 It also felt repetitive at times， having read a similar advice just the chapter before etc。Some of the key messages that stuck to me were- don't pay much attention to people's thoughts about you because you can't control that When I first read the book， I thought it was a 5 🌟 Almost all the lines were spot on to me， especially when I was just going through some drama in life。 Then I went on a bit of a hiatus with it because I was occupied with work。 Since then， picking it up again was difficult。 It also felt repetitive at times， having read a similar advice just the chapter before etc。Some of the key messages that stuck to me were- don't pay much attention to people's thoughts about you because you can't control that- be in tune with what Nature created you for- work with others to achieve what Nature intends- nothing is permanentI surveyed around and this is one of the recommended translations。 Very poetic at times。 Lovely cover too。It is definitely one of the classics that would remain so for all of time。 Just the fact that it is still recommended even centuries after being written says something， doesn't it？This book also makes me want to read more into Stoicism。 Shame that I don't feel like it is a 5 🌟 at the end of the book。 。。。more
Ramón Pérez
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Grandes enseñanzas。
Coleman Mercereau
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Did on audible not much stuck think need to read read this one
Andrew
，
Stupid self-help books should have ended here。 This was the king and remains so until this day。 I'm mostly joking because calling this self-help is reductive （although I'm not joking about the self-help genre ending， to some extent）。 Anyways， lots of beautiful passages in this one。 My favorites revolve around morality and purpose being tied to an individual's benefit towards society and their peers。 The complete opposite of the harmful， contemporary pure-individuality mindset that plagues us now Stupid self-help books should have ended here。 This was the king and remains so until this day。 I'm mostly joking because calling this self-help is reductive （although I'm not joking about the self-help genre ending， to some extent）。 Anyways， lots of beautiful passages in this one。 My favorites revolve around morality and purpose being tied to an individual's benefit towards society and their peers。 The complete opposite of the harmful， contemporary pure-individuality mindset that plagues us now。 。。。more
Andrew McNeill
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Excellent advice for life
Phil Williams
，
Meditations is a collective of journals written by Marcus Aurelius。 The Roman ruler never intended for these journals to be published。 I'm thankful that they were。 Even though it was written between AD 160 and 180， the lessons and advice are every bit as relevant today as they were back then。 Meditations is a collective of journals written by Marcus Aurelius。 The Roman ruler never intended for these journals to be published。 I'm thankful that they were。 Even though it was written between AD 160 and 180， the lessons and advice are every bit as relevant today as they were back then。 。。。more
Zachary Salmon
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A bit repetitive， but so are my journals
Andrii
，
I have read this in Ukrainian。 The book itself is quite good， though i think i will re-read it in other translations for better understanding。 The best things about stoicism is the fact that it`s a very practical philosophy， and therefore very applicable in everyday life。 I have read this in Ukrainian。 The book itself is quite good， though i think i will re-read it in other translations for better understanding。 The best things about stoicism is the fact that it`s a very practical philosophy， and therefore very applicable in everyday life。 。。。more
Kate
，
"Dwell on the beauty of life。 Watch the stars， and see yourself running with them。" The meditations of the Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius are a kind of dialogue between the author and himself， or， according to another source， instructions addressed to his son。 In any case， they were not intended for the general public， and the more striking is the relevance of many of the ideas developed by Marcus Aurelius。 The Emperor's personal notes became one of the main texts reflecting the pr "Dwell on the beauty of life。 Watch the stars， and see yourself running with them。" The meditations of the Roman Emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius are a kind of dialogue between the author and himself， or， according to another source， instructions addressed to his son。 In any case， they were not intended for the general public， and the more striking is the relevance of many of the ideas developed by Marcus Aurelius。 The Emperor's personal notes became one of the main texts reflecting the principles of Stoicism philosophy。 In my opinion， this book is useful to read when everything is going extremely well， but also when nothing is working out。 It helps to understand that the gap between these seemingly diametric situations is just an illusion。 The only things that really matter are what depends on us—our thoughts and actions， our character and reactions to external factors。 What is beyond our control， we need to accept and not let it disturb the inner peace。 Why worry of it can't be changed？ Sounds pretty utopian。 But when you listen to the sound of the ancient text， you realize that there is something in such a detached approach。 As the Stoics might say， it's important to properly adjust your attitude to the events taking place and be consistent in this。 A man who carried responsibility for the fate of a huge empire on his shoulders is trying to figure out how to live a decent life and not be afraid of misfortunes。 He reflects on eternal themes—life and death， fears and hopes， the place of individuals in society， prioritization and ways to find peace of mind。 Regarding the last point， Aurelius gives practical recommendations that are easy to adapt in our modern every-day life。 Harmonious reflections are so large-scale that it's difficult to select just a few basic ideas for a review。 I followed Aurelius' thought from beginning to end。 However， the book， which consists of twelve parts， can be opened and read from just about anywhere。 The key concepts are repeated throughout the entire text， but it didn't bother me， on the contrary， it helped me grasp it better。 I'll try to highlight some of the ideas developed by Marcus Aurelius at the beginning of the first millennium。 According to him， it's necessary to react smoothly to both joyful circumstances and adversity。 The first should be taken without arrogance and conceit， the second—without falling into despondency and anger。 It's not the external circumstances that matter， but our attitude towards them。 Man is given reason in order to turn obstacles to his advantage。 Failure often hides new opportunities。 "He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time， and also cheerful and collected。 Inquire of thyself as soon as thou wakest from sleep， whether it will make any difference to thee， if another foes what is just and right。" Also， don't forget that mishaps are in the nature of things and haunt everyone， even the most worthy。The thoughts about the importance of living in the present moment seemed surprisingly consonant to me， because the past is not longer there and the memory of it is subject to distortion， and the future is unknown and its very existence is in question。 Marcus Aurelius believes that only by fully giving ourselves to what we are doing at the moment， we can get rid of the fear of death and obsessive anxieties。 The idea that the present is all we have goes through all the meditations。 Aurelius considers it useful and logical to live every day as if it were the last and not postpone for tomorrow what can be done today。 "Let your attention be absorbed by your present subject， whether it be a foundation， activity， or expression。" At the very beginning， the Emperor talks about how grateful he is to fate， which has sent him worthy ancestors， excellent mentors and a faithful wife with a good character。 Scathing commentators questioned the loyalty of the letter， but not the essence。 Aurelius is from ancient antiquity （I know， pleonasm， but I want to emphasize the chronological remoteness） advises the invisible reader to isolate the positive from everyday life and feel a sense of gratitude for it。 If you translate the reasoning into a colloquial register， saying "thank you" when it's sincere and pleasant to the one who does it。 Marcus Aurelius is convinced that third-party opinions and assessments of others don't matter。 Slander， as well as praise， should leave us equally indifferent。 It's important to concentrate on your thoughts and actions。 The idea of autonomy from public opinion is developing， which is also extremely elastic and unreliable。 Today the wind blew in one direction， tomorrow—in the opposite direction。 Probably， the Roman Emperor knew about the volatility of popular rumor firsthand。 Marcus Aurelius is convinced that third-party opinions and assessments of others do not matter。 Slander， as well as praise， should leave us equally indifferent。 It is important to concentrate on your thoughts and actions。 The idea of autonomy from public opinion is developing， which is also extremely elastic and unreliable。 Today the wind blew in one direction， tomorrow - in the opposite direction。 Probably， the Roman emperor knew about the volatility of popular rumor firsthand。However， it's not all that simple。One of the philosopher's main ideas is connected with the public good。 A person maximizes their potential and can consider their life worthy when they contribute to the public benefit， in one way or another contributes to something that goes beyond their private existence。 In fact， only in this case we will not be ashamed of the "aimless lived years"。 "Have I done something for the common good？ Then I share in the benefits。" But in order to talk about the public good， you need to be part of society。 Otherwise， how do we know what is good and why care about it all in the first place？ Consequently， no one is completely free from the influence of society （even if they decided to retire from the world at some point）， but Marcus Aurelius doesn't call for hermit-hood in any case。 He emphasizes that the world is a single city， where all elements are interconnected， and people are related to one another。 Aurelius contemplates the world in its integrity and indivisibility。 Such a view highlights the insignificance of human life， even the longest and most intense， and the negligible weight that all the actions of one person have in the total volume of history， which is daily overgrown with new details。 Through the veil of centuries we see Caesars and consuls， writers and thinkers， sculptors and rhetoricians， but， at best， only myths remain of them。 They were swallowed up by the same abyss where millions of other people disappeared， whose names have long been erased from the memory of mankind。 What is our life in comparison with the flow of time running away into the darkness of centuries， and the abyss that stretches in the distance？ Everything repeats endlessly in countless variations。 The past was essentially the same as the present， and there'll be nothing new in the future。 What is our life in comparison with the flow of time running away into the darkness of centuries， and the abyss that stretches in the distance？ Everything repeats endlessly in countless variations。 In the past， it was essentially the same as now， and there will be nothing new in the future。Therefore， it's foolish to waste the grains of the earthly time allotted to us on disputes， anger， and negative emotions。 Recalling this， Marcus Aurelius explains why one should not be afraid of death， and failures should be experienced stoically。 But at the same time， he doesn't call for passivity and a contemplative lifestyles。Aurelius， who spent most of his life fighting the enemies of Rome and wrote his notes in military camps， believes that a person should joyfully devote themselves to service。 Thoughts about tomorrow shouldn't distract them from their work in the here and now。A wise person finds true happiness in the activities that are available to them。 From this angle， the value of a stonemason is not lower than the value of a Roman tribune。 Marcus Aurelius welcomes change and believes in its necessity。 "After all， I arose by virtue of change， and those who gave birth to me。" The world and human consciousness are in constant motion。 This is good， because if they were to be static， humanity would still be living in caves。 Aurelius' personal attitude towards Christians finds a place in the notes， which partly explains his repressive policy。 The Emperor didn't understand the desire to accept martyrdom， characteristic of early Christianity。 "The soul， ready for everything， will not find it difficult， if necessary， to part with the body， it does not matter whether it is waiting for extinction， dispersion， or a new life。 But this readiness must be rooted in one's own judgement， manifesting itself not with blind perseverance， as with Christians， but with reasonableness， seriousness， and lack of drawing: only then is it convincing for others。" Marcus Aurelius identifies several life paradoxes。 For example， everyone loves themselves the most， but for some reason they often attach more importance to the opinion of others than to their own judgement。 In my opinion， this sounds relevant and reminds us that you can't put your self-esteem dependent on the opinions of others people。 If someone correlation between these variables is unavoidable， then let it be minimal。 It's nice when your work is praised， but you don't need it to affect what we do and contribute it to the growth of your vanity。 The book， despite frequent references to the impermanence of all things， is to a large extent optimistic and written in an understandable and rather elegant style。 The reflections of Marcus Aurelius prove that ideas for the most part don't die。 They change shape， undergo more or less cosmetic changes， but retain the same。 。。。more
Jason
，
I liked it but I wouldn't say there is anything incredibly profound in here， much of this I've read in different places already。 But I do like his phrasing with certain ideas and they are great reminders。 And， of course， the challenge is in the application， not in the reading。Here are a few of the best highlights:- It's unfortunate that this has happened。 No。 It's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed by it - not shattered by the present or frightened of the future。 It coul I liked it but I wouldn't say there is anything incredibly profound in here， much of this I've read in different places already。 But I do like his phrasing with certain ideas and they are great reminders。 And， of course， the challenge is in the application， not in the reading。Here are a few of the best highlights:- It's unfortunate that this has happened。 No。 It's fortunate that this has happened and I've remained unharmed by it - not shattered by the present or frightened of the future。 It could have happened to anyone。 But not everyone could have remained unharmed by it。 Why treat the one as a misfortune rather than the other as fortunate？ So remember this principle when something threatens to cause you pain: the thing itself was no misfortune at all， to endure it and prevail is great good fortune。- You don't have to turn this into something。 It doesn't have to upset you。 Things can't shape our decisions by themselves。- But， my good friend， consider the possibility that nobility and virtue are not synonymous with the loss or preservation of one's life。 Is it not possible that a real man should forget about living a certain number of years， and should not cling to life， but leave it up to the gods， accepting， as women say， that 'no one can escape his fate'， and turn his attention to how he can best live the life before him？- Give yourself a gift: the present moment。 People out for posthumous fame forget that the Generations To Come will be the same annoying people they know now。 And just as mortal。 What does it matter to you if they say x about you， or think y？- Someone despises me。 That's their problem。 Mine: not to do or say anything despicable。 Someone hates me。 Their problem。 Mine: to be patient and cheerful with everyone， including them。 Ready to show them their mistake。 - It's time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet。 What's in my thoughts at this moment？ Fear？ Jealousy？ Desire？ Feelings like that？- It's all how you choose to see things。 That the present is all we have to live in。 Or to lose。 。。。more
Artur
，
Probably an oldest self-help book in the world that survived to this day that one of the most prominent emperors of the Rome wrote for himself。 He never planned it to become public and widely shared， but given his attitude and philosophy from this book he would not mind it either considering this turn of events natural from the perspective of the larger universe and nature of things。 It is a deep and profound reading that may need a few reads to actually sink in， but I can state the main idea ju Probably an oldest self-help book in the world that survived to this day that one of the most prominent emperors of the Rome wrote for himself。 He never planned it to become public and widely shared， but given his attitude and philosophy from this book he would not mind it either considering this turn of events natural from the perspective of the larger universe and nature of things。 It is a deep and profound reading that may need a few reads to actually sink in， but I can state the main idea just now: you are small in comparison to the universe and the time it exists， so be humble and try to act as it best fits to your nature as a human。 The things that hurt you don't really matter as much because they are， as well as you are， transient and changing and will pass into the depth of time as well as you and you descendants will pretty soon。 Live the life of virtue and let the universe evolve as it should。It is repetitive but so are our thoughts in life as we struggle to keep holding up the eternal truths sacred through the pain， the doubt and the passions that throw us off our way。 。。。more
Cesar
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Practice these ideals/views is key for personal success。
Dan
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I will definitely read it in every phase of my life。
Dalton Chamberlain
，
An obvious classic， it is incredible how well this book has withstood the test of time。 Still so relevant and so eloquently put。 Something that I will cherish on my shelf to have to read many times over， and the fact that it was written—with no intention to be read， makes the content that much more impressive。 A true just read for anyone and everyone interested in literature at all， extremely insightful and impactful in so many individual ways， and surely different for each person who reads。 Som An obvious classic， it is incredible how well this book has withstood the test of time。 Still so relevant and so eloquently put。 Something that I will cherish on my shelf to have to read many times over， and the fact that it was written—with no intention to be read， makes the content that much more impressive。 A true just read for anyone and everyone interested in literature at all， extremely insightful and impactful in so many individual ways， and surely different for each person who reads。 Some of my favorite lines:“It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character。”“Be tolerant with others but strict with yourself”“What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness。”“ To stop talking about what the good man is like， and just be one。”My number 1:“It’s quite possible to be a good man without anyone realizing it。 Remember that。” 。。。more
Parker Queen
，
One word: underwhelming。 The foreword excited me， as much as a former fanboy of stoicism can be excited。 Heck， the foreword itself would've gotten 5/5 from me。 But that's where it ends， the feeling of consuming something "intellectual"。 No， I do not mean to shit on millenia-old philosophy。 Meditations is not even philosophy though， neither a journal。。。it's thoughts directed inwards， it's Marcus talking to himself。 The book was never meant to be assembled， let alone read。 Did I learn something fr One word: underwhelming。 The foreword excited me， as much as a former fanboy of stoicism can be excited。 Heck， the foreword itself would've gotten 5/5 from me。 But that's where it ends， the feeling of consuming something "intellectual"。 No， I do not mean to shit on millenia-old philosophy。 Meditations is not even philosophy though， neither a journal。。。it's thoughts directed inwards， it's Marcus talking to himself。 The book was never meant to be assembled， let alone read。 Did I learn something from this read？ Sure， there were gems interspersed。 Or rather reaffirmations of the self-improvement principles I'm already very aware of。 Marcus' disposition， however， is too gloomy， depressing and passive to be of any use to my fast-moving life right now。 Maybe a couple years ago？ Perhaps。Here's my suggestion: grab Gregory Hayes' translation and read the foreword。 Then read a summary of the actual book。 Otherwise be prepared to read the same things （read: assertions） rehashed a thousand times。P。S: I still love the man。 。。。more
GenesisNineSix
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'Everything is what you suppose it to be。' Book 2:15 'Everything is what you suppose it to be。' Book 2:15 。。。more
Gethin Manuel
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Lifechanging
Christina Englisch
，
This book was actually really good。 I definitely recommend it。
Matthew Fornaciari
，
A philosophical powerhouse and resounding reflection on life。 There is undoubtedly repetition throughout the passages that may cause some to bristle， especially near the end of Book Twelve， but I found it to reinforce the wisdom being imparted。 This is particularly true of the passages that expound on the ephemerality of circumstance， the manifestation of feeling through thought， and the unity that ties everything together in constant change。 Digesting the lessons in these passages has indeed sp A philosophical powerhouse and resounding reflection on life。 There is undoubtedly repetition throughout the passages that may cause some to bristle， especially near the end of Book Twelve， but I found it to reinforce the wisdom being imparted。 This is particularly true of the passages that expound on the ephemerality of circumstance， the manifestation of feeling through thought， and the unity that ties everything together in constant change。 Digesting the lessons in these passages has indeed sparked a renewed vigor to "waste no more time arguing what a good man should be。" 。。。more
Mohamad Khenissie
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This is a very good book if you want to understand stoicism it can also be helpful if you intend to build discipline in your life。I appreciate how Marcus Aurelius insists in never wishing the impossible and the way he treats feelings such as fear especially of death and also anger。I see that the most important thing that one can get from this book is the awareness that death is everyone's end no matter what， this idea may seem simple but in my opinion the fear of death is one of the fundamental This is a very good book if you want to understand stoicism it can also be helpful if you intend to build discipline in your life。I appreciate how Marcus Aurelius insists in never wishing the impossible and the way he treats feelings such as fear especially of death and also anger。I see that the most important thing that one can get from this book is the awareness that death is everyone's end no matter what， this idea may seem simple but in my opinion the fear of death is one of the fundamental problems in one's life and to overcome this fear is to accept that one has no other choice and that humans cannot live forever。Though there is some few contradictions in this book and that i don't agree with the way Marcus considers things such as logic ， justice， common good。。。 i find it very interesting and it deserves to be read 。。。more
WanderingOdin
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You only have so much time on this earth， use it to improve or it is wasted。 -- B2:#4:PG18 "Remember how long you've been putting this off， how many extensions [you have been given] and you didn't use them。。。。if you don't use [finite time] to free yourself it will be gone and never return。"The best way to avoid feeling guilty from action or lie is to trust your conscience and always do what is right and truthful。 -- B3:#3:PG29 "You need to avoid certain things in your train of thought; everythi You only have so much time on this earth， use it to improve or it is wasted。 -- B2:#4:PG18 "Remember how long you've been putting this off， how many extensions [you have been given] and you didn't use them。。。。if you don't use [finite time] to free yourself it will be gone and never return。"The best way to avoid feeling guilty from action or lie is to trust your conscience and always do what is right and truthful。 -- B3:#3:PG29 "You need to avoid certain things in your train of thought; everything random， everything irrelevant。 Certainly everything self-important or malicious。 You need to get used to winnowing your thoughts， so that if someone says "what are you thinking" you can respond at once （and truthfully） that you are thinking this or that。。。and not the thoughts of one concerned with pleasure and with sensual indulgence generally， with squabbling and slander and envy， or anything else you would be ashamed to be caught thinking。"Value only the opinions of the people you respect。 -- B3:#4:PG29-30 "We should listen only to those whose lives conform to nature。 And the others？ He bears in mind what sort of people they are - both at home and abroad， by night as well as day - and who they spend their time with。 and he cares nothing for their praise - men who can't even meet their own standards。""No man ever steps into the same river twice， for it's not the same river and he's not the same man。" - Heraclitus 。。。more
Seb
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timeless wisdom
Doug
，