Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Description

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 121-180 AD, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote twelve books on Meditations in Kaine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improveement. He was the model of what we call a philosopher-king. Though, his rule was troubled by war and conflict, he remained a thoughtful and even-handed ruler.

Meditations isn’t a compilation of his personal diary entries written over a ten-year campaign in Greece. The entries were never meant to be published; instead, they were a reminder to himself of how to remain calm, tranquil, and kind, even in the worst of situations. In them, we see the emperor working out how to deal with the everyday problems all of us face: annoying co-workers, difficult family members, the expectations of others, unrealized goals and achievements, and, ultimately, happiness. In essence, this is a handbook of thoughtful advice on how to live a tranquil, satisfied, and productive life. This translation was done by a renowned English scholar George Long in 1862