Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics)

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And while I found Meditations to be profound at times, I also found it to be a frustrating read to really dive into, and downright depressing at times. The forward warned: And why is it so hard when things go against you? If it’s imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting it. And if not, work out what your own nature requires, and aim at that, even if it brings you no glory. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius We know. We KNOW. And Marcus Aurelius knew. But we have to give ourselves these little reminders: Don't fear death. It's natural. It has happened before and will happen again. Be slow to anger. Don't let grief consume you. If you don't let grief consume you, it won't. Be kind. You can't control other people. Maybe they don't know better: "But I do."

Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius | Goodreads

Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on . Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind. The actual “book” however is decent. I call it a “book” specifically because this is not truly a book. It’s a glorified diary from someone who lived a very long time ago. With the way the introduction was written, who knows what was lost to history and what the translator had the liberty of changing. This diary had its moments where a point connected with me and had me questioning something in my life which is why I gave it 3 stars. There are valuable lessons in this, some more valuable than others depending on the person, which make me glad I read it. When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they’re misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard? Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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He reminds himself that he's often choosing his own hell. And he can choose to climb out of it. That like C.S. Lewis says, people want to be in hell. They choose it and blame God, just as the addict blames others for his addiction, and cannot escape. Aurelius says: You know what to do: now go do it. And from The Good Soldier by Ford Maddox Ford: If I had a goodly apple on my table for 9 years that was rotten to the core - but for 9 years, I had and believed it to be good - is it wrong of me to believe that for 9 years I had a goodly apple? (Actual quote.) On one hand, it’s amazing to see the inner thoughts of an historical figure. Seeing these thoughts humanizes him. You see the struggles he encounters and they are not so different than what we struggle with today. Additionally, a few of the meditations really spoke to me. I will likely reread in the future and dive deeper into these thoughts. Book Review, Highlights, and Quotes from Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius – Translated by Gregory Hays You don’t have to turn this into something. It doesn’t have to upset you. Things can’t shape our decisions by themselves Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper to yourself, 'He may be dead in the morning.' Tony Campolo - speaking on Christ - reminded us that Christ never said, "Love the sinner, hate the sin." He said, "Love the sinner, hate your own sin." And Plutarch, quoting Plato reminds us to ask, "Am I not like that, too?" These writings after all, were never meant to be published. So Marcus bounces around from topic to topic at random. Many of the writings are repetitive in theme and context. Be true to yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. Be true to yourself and live your life the way you want to live it.

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Do your best. Don't compare yourself to others. Just do your best and be proud of what you have accomplished. The need to restrain anger and irritation with other people, to put up with their incompetence, or malice, to show them the error of their ways” Marcus Aurelius isn't being prescriptive here. He's not even asking us to look internally to ourselves to become better people, or deal with grief or suffering or anger. He's asking himself to look internally. Be kind to others. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Be kind and compassionate, even to those who are different from you. Thus, I give this a 5 for the historical significance and relevant advice. But I give it a 3 due to aforementioned issues with clarity.

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255 Meditations by Marcus Aurelius: 9780812968255

The idea of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is as inspiring as the contents. This was at its core a personal self-help book that Marcus used. It wasn't a journal or a diary because it rarely recounted events. It was more of a custom self-help book, a place where Marcus would give advice to himself and articulate his arguments and worldview. However, it wasn’t necessarily the impoverished view of humanity that bothered me, so much as the structure and length of the writings. It is written in almost bullet-point journalistic format. Death is not to be feared, Marus continually reminds himself. It is a natural process, part of the continual change that forms the world” It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own. If god appeared to us – or a wise human being, even – and prohibited us from concealing our thoughts or imagining anything without immediately shouting it out, we wouldn’t make it through a single day. That’s how much we value other people’s opinions – instead of our own. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

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Lee lifted the breadbox and took out a tiny volume bound in leather, and the gold tooling was almost completely worn away—The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in English translation. There is a strange dichotomy to Meditations. There is great wisdom to be had while also containing rambling nonsense. The thing you have to understand is that this book is a series of entries some guy made of his, sometimes completely random, thoughts. Conceitedly, that's basically what philosophy is. Forced perspective in written form. And, as with the rest of the human race, not every thought is a winner. I read that passage to Liz, and she said, "I get that he's a stoic - I think he's not - but he WANTS to be - so he gives himself all these reminders." No matter what happens, keep this in mind: It's the same old thing, from one end of the world to the other. It fills the history books, ancient and modern, and the cities, and the houses too. Nothing new at all."

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Be grateful for what you have. There is always someone who has less than you do. Be grateful for the things that you have, no matter how small they may seem. Meditations touches on much of the human condition. And I can respect that Marcus is sometimes trying to talk himself off a ledge. To remind himself to be the leader that he wants to be. To feel affection for people even when they make mistakes is uniquely human. You can do it, if you simply recognize: that they’re human too. They act out of ignorance, against their will, and that you’ll both be dead before long. And, above all, that they haven’t really hurt you. They haven’t diminished your ability to choose. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius I am a huge fan of A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine. It not only made me realize that I have already been living the Stoic philosophy in many ways, but encouraged me to dig further into Stoic readings and go straight to the source. to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in. Meditations by Marcus AureliusRyan Holiday has convinced me that this is one of those books from which we can all learn. And now I wholeheartedly agree. And am grateful to him. Ten key learnings (that i love - of many) i found on www: Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you-and just as vital to nature. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius