Meditations

'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius is a timeless gem. Rich, practical, wise, very useful and amazing. The New Translation by Gregory Hays is truly amazing. He has done an outstanding job. His introduction is great. The hardcopy is great. I really love it, it's there on my bed side. Highly recommend it.

Meditations. What a book. Every page from Marcus Aurelius feels timeless and deeply personal. I started reading it for wisdom and ended up changing how I think, act, and live.

A philosophical treatise with a very good introduction to how to go about reading the book and the essence of the book

This serves as a way of getting people to reflect on their thoughts. This is by no means a philosophy masterpiece, but an excellent example of a person thinking through things deeply. There are important lessons one can learn from this book such as acceptance, tolerance and living a life that is moral (although virtue ethical theory is stressed here, which is understandable considering the time in which this was recorded). Will recommend anyone who has an inclination towards philosophy to read this book.

Delivered in great condition, fantastic book to understand yourself

If you have found yourself on this page for a book like this if you think, you don't need a review. Because you are in charge of your perceptions. Buy this book and release yourself from the chaos that may have been holding you down. All the best to the readers!

I read it and I love it. Meditations is powerful because it is a journal written in real life by an emperor. It is powerful also because the philosophy is simple yet impactful.

Repeated message with just change in sentences!! You are not getting anything enlightening for 5-6 pages once you skin through first paragraph. That's the story for each chapter

A great read!

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.

De mis libros favoritos, lo recomendaría a cualquier persona que busque ser auténticamente feliz y busque vivir una vida ligera. Es un libro para tener en tu buró eternamente y releerlo cada domingo de vacío.

Really good, succinct and impactful. This version is brilliant to get to the crux of what MA is saying, to the degree I use the flash card tool on the kindle app every day to give me an aphorism boost. Other versions can weigh more towards the academic, literal, translation where meaning can get a little lost in your attempt to understand it. Hay's version keeps the translation true to form, applicable to daily life, without simplifying the text nor losing substance. If anything the brevity of the syntax rings home the profound philosophy more effectively.

Amazing insight into one of the greatest minds humans have ever had