Meditations by Marcus Aurelius (PDF)

Description

Wisdom from one of the greatest philosophical minds in all of Roman history Divided into twelve books, these meditations chronicle Aurelius’s personal quest for self-improvement. This enduring text from one of history’s greatest warriors and leaders has been compared to St. Augustine’s Confessions for its timelessness, clarity, and candor. These writings, composed between 161 and 180 CE, set forth Aurelius’s Stoic philosophy and stress the importance of acting in a way that is moral and just rather than self-indulgent. This ebook has been professionally proofread to ensure accuracy and readability on all devices.

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐This is a book one can return to and read over again, gaining new insight each time. One must account for the time he lived in so as to not make the mistake of being anachronistic, but there are timeless ideas here that permeate the centuries and easily apply to our societies now. Whatever kind of man he was in life, there is much to gain today from a study of his thinking.

⭐In summary, the unfortunate reality is that a good idea conveyed poorly is a poor idea in the end.Let’s start with the good stuff, as I like to do.Just so you know, Marcus Aurelius is known as the last great emperor of Ancient Rome. As I’m an Ancient Rome fanatic, reading his work seemed like a sort of intellectual necessity. I mean, given the chance to read the words and thoughts of someone long dead over 2,000 years, who ruled such a place at such a time? Think of the implications! Isn’t that exactly what makes writing so amazing to begin with? The chance to cross the very barrier of time and live in the moment with those who existed so long ago? Maybe it’s just me, but I find it awesome to think about.So anyway, I was excited to start reading, and at first, this book seemed promising. In brief, Meditations is basically an instruction book on how to live a great life by being a great and respectful person. In a word, Stoicism. Treat people with respect, let your actions speak for themselves, avoid vices of thought such as prejudice and idleness, and just generally try to be a man (or woman) of virtue and discipline. I can only imagine that in Marcus’ time, this was a revolutionary philosophy, considering the widespread wars and slavery that ran amok in that age. However, what was most fascinating to me was just how relevant such teachings were to this very day. Marcus’ Meditations could be easily and readily applied to any individual walking around in the modern age, and doing so would improve the lives of many by an alarming degree.Now, I say this because I agree with most of what Marcus’ wrote. Unbeknownst to me until readings these works, I’d been “following” Stoicism for a good decade now, and in truth, most good people do, too. Meditations is, I believe, just putting into words those common things that all good people eventually come to realize: that happiness is easy to obtain when you live a virtuous life. And that right there is where Meditations fails.This book is not revolutionary, I hate to say it. Marcus did not invent any of the ideas presented in his book, which he freely admits by saying things such as “I learned from father this, from my mother that,” which any halfway decent and smart person does anyway. Human beings learn from their surroundings now, then, and until the end of time, and the only thing Marcus can boast is that he was a) fortunate enough to have good mentors, b) smart enough to learn from them, c) wise enough to jot them all down in a book, and finally d) lucky enough to have his book survive to the digital age. Reading Meditations might be rather insightful for anyone who didn’t grow up with good guidance, but I’m a firm believer that good people are everywhere, if only one looks for them, and were Meditations to have been lost when Ancient Rome fell, there would still be a great many people unknowingly “practicing” Stoicism to this day.So now let’s get to the bad part, or why I only gave this book 3 stars. Although I feel the idea of living a virtuous life is a 5-star concept, and the fact that I can so easily agree with a long-dead ancient emperor is astoundingly fascinating, the truth is that this book wasn’t well written.The majority of Meditations is simply a bullet list of good practices in paragraph form. Marcus drones on “think well of others, do not judge, avoid idleness,” without extending much effort to explain why. There’s no compare and contrast with the opposite points of view, little dwelling on why doing these particular things will enrich one’s life. He says they will, but doesn’t often dive into the meat of it all. The few times he does, for example when he speaks of why it’s important to live in the now, are absolutely riveting and absorbed me to no end. Unfortunately, these moments were few and far between, and the majority of the books makes for a dull read that goes in one ear and out the other, which results in me forgetting most of it.As I said in the beginning, the unfortunate reality is that a good idea conveyed poorly is a poor idea in the end.You see, I can’t recommend this book to anyone who needs to read it. Due to the nature of this book’s dry and mostly face-value delivery of information, the only people who’d be able to absorb this book’s teachings would have to agree with the writer from the start, or at least that’s my impression. I couldn’t recommend this book to people I feel could really benefit from it because they’d be lost in a heartbeat, having no frame of reference to tie all these things together. From their view, it’d just be a long rant by some old dead guy telling them what to do.So yeah, 3-stars. Although the message is a good one, Meditations is a short book of preaching to the choir.

⭐Nice to read a couple of paragraphs and think on them. Wisdom of old.

⭐This book has three major functions: to be the personal journal of the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius, to clarify to non-Stoics what it means to be Stoic (not stoic), and to serve as a time if advice in a plethora if topics to other Stoics, and although Marcus Aurelius never meant it to be anything more than a journal, this book excels at all three functions.Marcus Aurelius was an great emperor and a greater man. He was known for his justice and humble ability to learn from others, including subordinates. This book, as the journal of the most powerful man on earth at the time, serves as a great study guide into law, ethics, philosophy, ancient civilization, ancient history, politics, and Roman history.Second, this book clarifies our misunderstanding of Stoicism. Stoicism is NOT the teaching that emotions are bad. It was quite different. Stoicism taught that bad emotions were human nature and should be controlled and restrained, while good emotions should be chased, studied, and improved. As a master practitioner of Stoicism, Meditations serves as a great argument for the practical usefulness of Stoicism.Finally, this book helps novice Stoics improve their nature and skills. A major theme in Stoicism is to find a master Stoic and emulate him as a role model. Few Stoics would serve as a greater role model than Marcus Aurelius.This book is a must-have for any book shelf, and I hope you buy it, because I know every intellectual will thoroughly enjoy reading Meditations.

⭐I was influenced to read this book after seeing a lot of people recommend it and how influential the book was in changing their life. I read this version and a couple of other versions at the same time to get a better perspective on the book.Throughout the book there is a plethora of information and wisdom. The words and advice within the book is food for the soul. I was inspired, motivated and learnt lot on life, pain, intelligence and life in general.Though Aurelius himself never intended to publish his work since the work is mostly his observations, perceptions and ideas that he lusted down in his notebook to remind himself of lessons he considered beneficial to himself. The book is divided into twelve books which contain his words on life, death, knowledge as well as perplexing issues like thee nature and purpose of man, philosophy and religion as well as personal development of an individual.Some parts of the book may seem a little gloomy and melancholy especially the constant reminders on death and shortness of life. But otherwise the book is a mine of information.This is a book you have to read again and again so you can adopt the lessons and incorporate them unto your life.

⭐Whether you’re looking for a good read or just a refresher as it pertains to stoicism, this book offers an amazing range of work to put into practice. “Mediations” sets itself apart as a wonderful work of literature, and practice. This book will give you insight into so much which seemed so vague. The texts are easy to read and application of the lessons are just as simple. Definitely would recommend

⭐Considering the price, and the image posted, you would think this is a beautiful edition, bound in cloth (as it actually claims on the blurb). In fact, it is sleeved is cheap, glossy paper. It’s bound in low-quality, waxy plastic.Really, really disappointed. Feel scammed. This was meant to be a nice, classy present for someone but will have to go find a better copy of Meditations, for a tenth of the price, elsewhere.

⭐Mu key issues are with the edition rather than the content. I don’t understand why the edition can’t replace “thy” with “yours”. It’s not the original text but a translation from Greek so they can change the vocab to make it less distracting. Also the book is needlessly long and awkward to hold.In terms of content I feel like it gives us great insight into Marcus’s mind and reflections. The key concept of the book is Logos which is the logic and set principle of the universe which means that everything that happens meant to happen so we most accept it with no emotions but rather as a set and stone fact. Marcus also highlights the 4 cardinal virtues and gives some insights into a good life. Overall satisfying read.

⭐It is true that this book has little structure, theme of common purpose for its parts, however, this book is a wealthy reflection of a previous time.Few authors, philosophers or statesman can truly be said to create works that stand the test of time: Marcus Aurelius has created a body of text which transcends generations and brings a personal connection with a epoch of time, long since finished.This is an excellent text for anyone to read.

⭐A post-deist moral structure for the modern world, a wise word from a critical friend, speculations about the nature of the universe and insights into what it is to be both human and prone to error. I use this book as an I Ching that actually says useful things. I recommend it to anyone who has ever wondered why…?

⭐Having had a deeply unsatisfactory experience with Christianity I have found myself wandering, and wondering for quite a while. Reading Meditations has given my own journey some credence and value. I’m motivated to discover more about Stoicism. I’ll also search for a better translation in paperback, and pay for it.

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