The Meditations [Paperback]

Marcus Aurelius (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0915145790 | ISBN-13: 978-0915145799 | Publication Date: December 1983

A new translation of the philosophical journey that has inspired luminaries from Matthew Arnold to Bill Clinton
Written by an intellectual Roman emperor, the "Meditations" offer a wide range of spiritual reflections developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and the universe. Marcus Aurelius covers topics as diverse as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods, and his own emotions, spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation.
* Includes an introduction, chronology, explanatory notes, general index, index of quotations, and index of names

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here, for our age, is [Marcus's] great work presented in its entirety, strongly introduced and freshly, elegantly translated." --Robert Fagles

"From the Trade Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 143 pages
• Publisher: Hackett Pub Co Inc (December 1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915145790
• ISBN-13: 978-0915145799
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.4 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #64,467 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Greek & Roman
  • #24 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Nonfiction > Philosophy > Ethics & Morality

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book, March 9, 2010

By 

Patrick (USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The Meditations (Paperback)

When I read passages from authors from Ancient Rome like Flavius Renatus, Cato the Elder, Livy etc... I feel a tone of pride and sometimes even haughtiness and self-righteousness. I can almost here them speak it in their native tongue of Latin when they were still alive. The Meditations is the first book, authored by a Roman, that is very humbling and reverent to me.

Marcus Aurelius is someone I now respect since reading his book. He seems to have flaws and either accepts it or knows it. And yet he tries to remedy and adapt to it. He resolves to act on living the right way. He is a reluctant heir to control an empire and turned out to be good at his duties as an Emperor. One of the good Emperors in fact.

Aurelius even have questions that we still have until today regarding death and the after-life; the universal links of nature; etc. Reading The Meditations is like listening to someone long gone for over two thousand years ago speak to you, the reader. And it tells you: live in modesty, not to pass judgement on others, to become disciplined despite the difficulty, to become tolerant, and other virtues a civilized person try to attain. Great book. Marcus Aurelius is very human. It made me realize that after all these centuries, human beings are still the same.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars So Many Typos!, April 26, 2011

By 

M B "M B" - See all my reviews

This review is from: Meditations (Paperback)

The amount of typos in this version is appalling. Do not get this version of the Meditations. I'm only in Section 1 and it is unbearable to read.