Meditations (Modern Library)

Sometimes Amazon bundles multiple translations under one product listing, so this is the Gregory Hays translation. Overall I give the translation 5/5 just from the perspective of being well-written and free of errors. This is my first reading so I can't speak to "accuracy" per se, but overall the flow of the prose gives me a lot of assurance that it's a faithful translation. This translation comes with a large opening section detailing Marcus Aurelius' life and the geopolitical and social factors surrounding the work, as well as the history we know of how the work survived and was transmitted. This background is great because the Meditations were in part Marcus' personal diary. Many lines were only meant as personal reminders - a sort of philosophical to-do list - and some lines are still such non-sequiturs that scholars can't place them. Overall though, the Meditations is sort of a philosophical play book. Marcus is essentially coaching himself - how to act, what to think about, how to carry yourself. It makes for an incredibly actionable philosophical work. Overall, it's precisely the fact that Meditations was never meant to be read which makes it such good reading! This isn't a thorough treatise trying to explain why stoicism is the best philosophy, it's more of a step-by-step guide for how to live and breathe this philosophy. Famously, this work constantly mentions death. Marcus Aurelius constantly reminded himself that he was mortal, and that he could die at any time. He clearly expresses that this belief helps him act honorably at all moments. If you believe you could die today, Aurelius believed you'd be much more likely to express yourself fully and to avoid saying anything which was dishonest or which would cause you to feel regret later. This doesn't mean he ignored the future - preparing for a good life tomorrow, including diet and exercise, has benefits today as well as tomorrow. Meditations is rarely dry. It's quick, aphoristic "to-do list" style means varied points are given one after another. If you don't get something from one paragraph, the next might still be very important to you. It's similar to Nietzsche in that regard. Unlike Nietzsche however, this book goes strongly against ego. Aurelius doesn't say he is a genius, but that he is a human like any other. Overall this is a fairly unique work in terms of major philosophical books. Because this book wasn't meant to be published, it's one of the most brutally honest and effective works out there, especially because this ethos meshes with stoicism. One stoic principle might be, "write everything down - but write honestly, as though it will never get published". Aurelius accidentally accomplished that in strong fashion, and the philosophical world is all the better for it.

I just started to explore Stoic philosophy and this book comes highly recommended. I think you need to read it a few times cause its messages are so deep. I’m on my second reading.

I have read this book at least 5 times through the past 3 years, and each time I find new inspiration, and I keep on adding highlights of important parts. Without any intention of provoking any religion or religious people, I find that this book deserves a more prominent position than any of the holy books of world religions, which are in many instances quite intolerant - not to say cruel - to people believing in other Gods or practicing different ways of worship, whereas they were essentially supposed to provide inspiration on how to live in harmony with ourselves and our fellow citizens. If everyone practiced the ideas suggested by Marcus Aurelius, the world would be a better place. His key message is to be good and serve humanity. I find that Marcus Aurelius would have been a strong contester among the various historical candidates of people who claim having got a devine call or enlightenment, leading them to impose others to follow their "ways" and ultimately becoming recognised "prophets" and founding fathers of established belief system and moral principles. Although The Meditations were written about 2,000 years ago, the ideas in this book are still relevant and fresh. Readers with some knowledge of zen-Buddhism will see that the pursuit of mindfulness, simplicity, self-containment, positive change and inner as well as outer harmony are all presented in Aurelius' brilliant text. Although Gregory Hayes' translation is often mentioned as the best, I still prefer the one from Penguin books' great ideas series. Hayes' version offers a text in modern English, but the text is so minimalistic that it often comes out as a compilation of brief notes and stray thoughts, whereas the Penguin version has complete and articulate sentences. The language is dated and slightly more complicated than in Hayes' version, but it gives me the impression of reading a very important book written by a great thinker from a different era. Had Hayes made a more fluent text, I would have given this version five stars. All in all, this book deserve a place in every home next to other important masterpieces that we can go back to when our moral standards need a checkup.

This book exceeded my expectations. The hardcover is well made and feels high quality with no damages from shipping, and the content itself is motivating, inspiring, and helpful for living a better life. Marcus Aurelius truly is a great stoic philosopher and leader which you can tell from his experiences and notes to himself. I’m very happy with this purchase and would highly recommend it.

This book provides a very healthy way to perceive life, and everything that happens to us. There are better tools available for living our life that are already within us. We just need to be aware of them and choose to use them, intentionally. The true discovery is that we are all part of nature as it was intended. The more we operate as part of it, and for it, the better off we all will be.

The timeless wisdom of a leader, working on, what we would call, his mental health. He constantly sought spiritual depth, in a polytheistic world. It seems right, next to the Bible and Quran.

Great book and great seller

I'm not sure why this is considered to be so insightful. I found my thoughts wandering quite a bit and, quite frankly, kept looking towards the end of the book and how long it would take me to reach it. There were some meaningful thought/ideas expressed, but not enough, in my opinion, to label it the classic that it is considered to be. Maybe in its day, meaning historically when it was written, and with very limited types of ideas actually being put down on paper, it was relevant, but for me, I didn't find anything here that was earth-shattering or soul awakening.