Meditations

Good I love to listen to Everand always :) :)

A bit fast. Too fast for 1x. 0.8 is a bit too fast also. But of course an amazing book. I read this book 40 times. I suggest reading a slower version.

I doubt people would learn much from this audio version. His voice and the translation is great, just a bit too fast. Even for someone who knows the book well.

A peaceful, thought provoking read.

ISBN: 9780679642602, Modern Library hardcover translated by Gregory Hayes

Wasn't what I was expecting given the book's reputation. Meditations is best described as more or less random scribblings that Marcus Aurelius put down in his private diaries, and was almost certainly not intended for anybody other than him to see. Lots of ideas and concepts are repeated quite frequently, and though it's in twelve 'books' the ideas aren't arranged in any particular logical order or with any particular theming.

Fascinating read, to see how people of the past thought and what they valued, but personally I don't think I got much useful philosophy out of it.

Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor, warrior and philosopher epitomizes stoicism in his beliefs. Still relevant to modern times, Aurelius reminds us that we are in control of our thoughts, not the other way around. Excellent read.

Over time, reading Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" turns into reading isolated phrases that, while leading to profound reflections, often lack meaning due to the lack of context about the situation Marcus Aurelius was in at that moment and what led him to reflect deeply and articulate his thoughts, to empty his mind. (Translated from Spanish)

Wisdom for everyday life. It is written in an ancient language which requires a bit more time to analyze. It is truly a book for reflection and sometimes to take word by word. In its basic ideas lies the strength of simplicity. (Translated from Spanish)

An amazing book. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, despite being many centuries old, can be perfectly applied to the 21st century. Personally, it has made me reflect in many ways, and after reading it, I believe I will become a person who is guided by "the own governing principle," as he specifically mentions in the work. (Translated from Spanish)

A wonderful book. Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, despite being many centuries old, can perfectly be applied to the 21st century. Personally, it has made me reflect in many ways, and after having read it, I believe I will become a person guided by "the inner guiding principle," as he himself mentions in the work. (Translated from Spanish)

I knew that you had been one of the greatest emperors of Rome. And after Gladiator, that epic film in which you appear at the beginning in a dramatic role, driven by curiosity I looked into your biography. It was said that while resting in the war camps and leading the legions, you dedicated yourself to writing in diary format, what later became known as your Meditations.

Thus, Marcus Aurelius, I came to buy your book and began reading it. But it was not the right time, of course. To read you, it is necessary to have calm and time, and I did not have them at that moment. And there it was, abandoned, with the bookmark stationed in the first book (there are 22), the one that deals with gratitude. But now indeed, in this second attempt, I went through your meditations step by step, with various feelings. From "How remarkable these precepts are, they are still valid, and it seems others have copied you!" to "I didn't quite understand this” or “again the same, what disorder, that is very redundant,” to “How is it possible that you say this and omit the other?” Of course, if I were in full agreement with you, I would be a stoic through and through.

But let's get to the relevant part: in "Meditations" there are recommendations for life, from a practical philosophy.

Self-discipline, acceptance of what we cannot change, the ability to discern when it is necessary to persevere in a goal or to desist. Choosing the battles we will fight, because we cannot fight all the ones we would like. Self-criticism and the willingness to change to be a better person, self-control -- the effects of anger outweigh that which causes it -- the sense of morality: "If something is not decent, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it."

And three final gems to share:
"You will enjoy tranquility when you stop worrying about what others say."
"Reflect on the brevity of life, the infinity of time that has passed and that will come, and on the little consistency of all that is material."
"What then could lead us to salvation? One single thing: philosophy. And it consists of safeguarding the inner god without abuse or harm..."

At the end of the day, what matters is that it has been worth it. It has been a peaceful reading time, well invested, with reflections and several ideas that I keep close to live with me. (Translated from Spanish)

Although I agree with many things, I find it a bit conflicting that it involves the gods so much. (Translated from Spanish)

"Meditations" is a collection of aphorisms, musings, quotes, and, essentially, diary entries from a Roman emperor who would have been one of Plato's Philosopher-Kings. Concerned greatly with his philosophy (a Stoicism mixed with other influences) and how he should live his life, these are essentially notes and reflections meant for himself. As such, it must be admitted that there is quite a lot of repetition here. In some sense that is actually not bad: it becomes quite obvious that Marcus Aurelius struggled often and greatly to live up to the values and ethics he believed in.

Note: this is not the kind of book you sit down and read through, but rather pick through over days. If you do try to just run through it the above-mentioned repetition will somewhat ruin it.

 Maybe I don't need to know how to live a good life as a Roman nobleman. A classic of stoicism.

A great book, a literary gem, despite its small size. I have read it and felt as if I were being advised on how to take life and things, on attitude, thought, doing good, what not to do, all the unnecessary things we do or have in our lives. And thinking about how long this book has existed, and that someone has already thought and acted this way, makes me realize that to live well, there is only one way, and it is the same as always, the one that the great Marcus Aurelius shows us here, and that many great thinkers share with him. (Translated from Spanish)

Possibly 2.5 Stars. Defintly requires a reread with more in-depth analysis and attention.

I read this book because I have read a few books by the contemporary self-help guru Ryan Holiday. I've enjoyed his books because I don't find them cultish as he draws his inspiration from the Stoics and other more contemporary individuals whom I hold in esteem. I saw this book and wanted to read the source of Holiday's inspiration. I have never been interested in reading anything by ancient Greeks (Marcus Aurelius lived in the second century), but I found this book fairly easy to read. I made the decision to read the Introduction after I read the book's narrative as I am fairly ignorant of ancient Greek history. I found that was an excellent way for me to enjoy the book a bit better.

Of the contents itself, I found many interesting and useful suggestions. I realize that what Marcus Aurelius wrote was merely notes as a guide for himself and never meant as a publication for others to read. His suggestion that I found most useful personally was to work toward a sense of calmness. The theme I had the most difficulty with was to not fear death. I can't say I'm there yet or ever while be. I enjoyed learning about Stoicism (and even where the word stoic came from). I am glad the opportunity presented itself by coincidence to read this book as I got my copy from a fellow Bookcrosser at a recent book festival.

It is the shortest book that –perhaps– has taken me the longest time to read. Please, I don't want it to be thought that all that time was due to my not liking it or any kind of difficulty derived from its reading, because the truth is it is very simple. No, that time was due to the book imposing it so, it makes it mandatory, it chains you so that you don’t pass those pages in one go, but each time you read something, you have to take the time to think about what it says. It requires you to carry out a continuous exercise of introspection, to meditate on the thoughts that this emperor had and that, thank God, were put down in writing.

It is a necessary book for those who want to know about Stoicism. It develops aspects from premises that have been incorporated into that way of seeing life. Unfortunately, there is no order regarding the pillars of the doctrine, but that, in turn, allows the reading not to become monotonous and enables the complementing of meditations that had already been achieved on the primordial points.

I loved it. It is impressive that a reading can be so relevant over time, that knowledge about the way of understanding the world in such a distant era can be applicable today. This shows that we haven’t changed at all, that history is the path to know where we are going. (Translated from Spanish)

Marcus Aurelius was frugal in his life, and he devoted his free time to study. The "Meditations" do not enlighten us about the events that occurred during his time as emperor; rather, they are brief scattered strokes about his tastes and desires, a spiritual and philosophical soliloquy of an emperor concerned with building an "inner citadel" that would fare better than his Empire. (Translated from Spanish)

I would like (Translated from Spanish)

I think that this collection of thoughts has to be read in context, as a common place book for the author, and not as a systematic philosophy. As James Mustich says in his book “1,000 Books to Read before you Die”, this can read “like a twenty first century self-help book”, but “the aphoristic reflections ... are both consoling and inspiring”.
To the extent that I think about philosophy, these thoughts often chime with my own, except for the assumption of rational thinking and the acceptance that everything happens for the best, for example see book 4:9-10:
9. It was for the best. So Nature had no choice but to do it.
10. That every event is the right one. Look closely and you’ll see. Not just the right one overall, but right. As if someone had weighed it out with scales.
The collection can be repetitive and morbid, but is also fascinating; to read thoughts from over 1,800 years ago that sound current (although this observation is dependent upon the translation).

I am currently also reading Rage by Bob Woodward, and I think a lot of the military personnel who were asked to serve the US in the Trump administration were probably more than a little conversant with the stoicism of the Meditations.

In respect of the translation by Gregory Hays, there were Americanisms, and I was flummoxed by the meaning of “gussy up”, an American colloquial term I had heard before, but had to google to understand!

Book 4:43
Time is a river, a violent current of events, glimpsed once and already carried past us, and another follows and is gone.

They are his personal and intimate reflections on everything that surrounds us, a stoic work par excellence, and, according to critics, one of the best works to begin with in philosophy. I made a mistake with the rating, I rated it four stars when I meant to rate it five. (Translated from Spanish)

Practicing common sense. Essential. It strikes me, in these times of mediocrity that we suffer, as an indispensable reminder of behavior and existence, a path, a way of being. (Translated from Spanish)

The first thing I recommend before starting to read this book is, out of fairness, to contextualize it in its historical moment. Therefore, I leave you with a few data points: Marcus Aurelius was born in the year 121 of our era, was Emperor of the Roman Empire from the year 161 until his death in the year 180. He is considered one of the Five Good Emperors and one of the most representative figures of Stoic Philosophy.
That said...
This is not the first philosophy book I have read, and until now, the ones I had read gave me the impression that the authors were charlatans, with airs of grandeur and eager to tell you that you understand nothing about life. With this book, the feeling has been entirely different; it has been like talking to a friend who opens up and shares their deepest thoughts and feelings.
It is not an ordinary book; I mean it is not a book that you read and set aside until later. It is a bedside book, to read and reread, to mark, highlight, make annotations, and, as its title suggests, to meditate. It is not necessary to do exactly what it tells you; you just have to think about it.
Do I recommend it?... "If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?" (Translated from Spanish)

How evident it is that there is no other situation as suitable for philosophizing as the one you are currently in! I must highlight the precepts that have been provided to me by reading this book, but I could fall into my interpretation; at the same time, I am having a problem with my principles and ideals as a person.

This leads me to the next paradigm; I would justify this as a relevant change in my person, but this is nothing more than just a perception of the most valuable content one can obtain, and it is nothing more than putting my principles and ideals into question to know which ones stay, which ones go, and to add new ones... (Translated from Spanish)

An amazing book. Marcus Aurelius' meditations, despite being many centuries old, can perfectly be applied to the 21st century. Personally, it has made me reflect in many ways, and after reading it, I believe I will become a person who is guided by "the own guiding principle," as he himself mentions in the work. (Translated from Spanish)

It is a delight to come across this kind of book; the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius is sublime and makes this book a total joy. The philosophy conveyed in this book is very sophisticated and transcends all time. (Translated from Spanish)

The framework is much writing, I don't know how it would carry Rome...

General ideas:
-Human nature
-Common good (favoring individual good)
-Death
-Essence
-Perception
-Ascesis
-In what one has control over (Translated from Spanish)

Collection of the Stoic ideas of Emperor Marcus Aurelius that have been, and are, a reference for the philosophical thought of Stoicism.
These meditations would be a great contribution to 21st-century society, providing a realistic view of the human race, its characteristics, and its limitations.
A good book to meditate on our behavior in the face of the difficulties that life offers us, and even on our behavior towards death. (Translated from Spanish)

First reading of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in the Gredos version. Originally titled "To Himself," it is a series of brief reflections that the emperor wrote without the intention of publicity, but over the centuries has become a philosophical reference of the Stoic school. It is not a typical reading that you can start and read straight through. On the contrary, I recommend going slowly, a few pages a day with a pencil to underline. Interpret them, reread them, and of course, meditate on them. Some are convoluted and a bit twisted. I suppose it must be difficult to find the ideal translation that adapts the Greek of 2000 years ago to modern language (it was written in Greek, not Latin). But others are simply enlightening, revealing, and fully relevant today. I will now do a rereading with another edition (Cátedra) and with support.

I cannot recommend it to everyone. It is not a matter of snobbery or arrogance. Simply a matter of interests. If you are not interested in philosophy, it will bore you. If, on the other hand, you are drawn to this discipline and have not read it yet, it is a must. Moreover, it is something to keep permanently in the drawer of your bedside table and review continuously. That’s it. The true self-help. (Translated from Spanish)

There are works that find us and provide their wisdom at the right moment (which for me has been). Marcus Aurelius is undoubtedly quite a character, who, even long after, penetrates our intellect and presents us, as if in a manual, the stance we should take before adversities, inviting us to live devoted to truth and justice, to enjoy the now, and also to prepare for the end of our days, when we dissolve and transmute into different forms of the same universal nature that gives us life; three are the elements: the body, the spirit, and intelligence, and therefore everything leading to the universe is always beautiful and tempestuous. Finally, I am left with the following maxims; 1. “Cast out these prejudices from yourself and you will be safe. For who can prevent you from freeing yourself from them?” 2. “Nothing is so unbearable as arrogant pride cloaked in modesty.” The edition I have enjoyed corresponds to the illustrated version by ALMA, whose art plays intelligently with imagination, fleeing from realism and giving a pleasantly symbolic aspect, in harmony with each chapter of the work. (Translated from Spanish)