Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings by the Roman Emperor, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Written in Koine Greek, the work is divided into 12 books, each taking the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs. The work has no official title, so Meditations is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection.
Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations for his own guidance and self-improvement, and it is unlikely that he ever intended the writings to be published. The work is a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. While composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest works of philosophy: a timeless collection that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers, and readers throughout the centuries.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Number of books | 12 |
Language written in | Koine Greek |
Intended audience | Himself |
Themes | Change, death and the shortness of life; the role and importance of the rational mind and will; dealing with others and accepting their shortcomings; avoiding the chase for pleasure and fame; and living according to nature and fully accepting its course |
First book | Marcus thanking the people who had a positive influence on his life |
What You'll Learn
- The book is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy
- It was written in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement
- It is not clear that he ever intended the writings to be published
- The work has no official title, so Meditations is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection
- These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs
The book is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings by the Roman Emperor, setting forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy. Written in Koine Greek, the Meditations was never intended for publication. Instead, the work was a source of guidance and self-improvement for Marcus Aurelius himself. The text takes the form of quotations, varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.
The Meditations is divided into 12 books that chronicle different periods of Aurelius' life. The passages in each book are not necessarily in chronological order, reflecting their nature as personal musings. The style of writing is simple and straightforward, perhaps influenced by Aurelius' Stoic perspective.
Aurelius' Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections. He claims that a man can only be harmed by others if he allows his reaction to overpower him. An internal, orderly, and rational nature, or logos, guides all existence. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to live in harmony with the logos, rising above faulty perceptions of "good" and "bad". Things outside of one's control, like fame and wealth, are irrelevant and neither good nor bad.
Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe, seeing that everything comes from nature and shall return to it. He stresses the importance of maintaining focus and being without distraction while maintaining strong ethical principles.
The Meditations is a book of actionable advice, with teachings meant to be practised and used. Aurelius speaks of the certainty of death and how relatively soon it will come, recommending that this fact should advise our decision-making and how we view the events in our lives.
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It was written in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement
Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is unlikely that he ever intended the writings to be published. The work has no official title, so "Meditations" is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.
Aurelius wrote the Meditations while on campaign between 170 and 180. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes reveal that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron in Slovakia) and the second book was written at Carnuntum.
The Meditations is divided into 12 books that chronicle different periods of Aurelius' life. The passages in each book are not necessarily in chronological order, as they were written as Aurelius' own personal musings. The style of writing is simplified and straightforward, reflecting Aurelius' Stoic perspective.
A central theme of the Meditations is the importance of analysing one's judgment of self and others and developing a cosmic perspective. Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came from nature, and so everything shall return to it in due time. Another strong theme is maintaining focus and being without distraction while maintaining strong ethical principles such as "Being a good man".
Aurelius' Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections, a skill that will free a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. An internal orderly and rational nature, or logos, permeates and guides all existence. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to live in harmony with the logos, rising above faulty perceptions of "good" and "bad". Things out of your control like fame and wealth are irrelevant and neither good nor bad.
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It is not clear that he ever intended the writings to be published
It is not clear that Marcus Aurelius ever intended for his Meditations to be published. The work has no official title, and the title "Meditations" is one of several that have been assigned to the collection. The work consists of the Roman Emperor's private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy, written in Koine Greek. The text takes the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.
Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is thought that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia. Internal notes reveal that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron in Slovakia) and the second book was written at Carnuntum.
Aurelius's Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him. An internal orderly and rational nature, or logos, permeates and guides all existence. Rationality and clear-mindedness allow one to live in harmony with the logos. This allows one to rise above faulty perceptions of "good" and "bad". Things out of your control like fame and wealth are irrelevant and neither good nor bad.
Aurelius's Meditations is imminently readable and perfectly accessible. You cannot read this book and not come away with a phrase or a line that will be helpful to you the next time you are in trouble. It is a book of short sayings, varying from a sentence or two to a long paragraph. It’s not organized by theme, but certain ideas keep popping up throughout, indicating that he thought them the most important for him (and therefore us) to understand and incorporate into the way we live.
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The work has no official title, so Meditations is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection
The work has no official title, so "Meditations" is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. The work is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. The 12 books of the Meditations were written in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.
The Meditations is divided into 12 books that chronicle different periods of Aurelius' life. The passages in each book are not necessarily in chronological order, as they were written as Aurelius' own personal musings. The style of writing is simplified and straightforward, perhaps reflecting Aurelius' Stoic perspective.
A central theme of the Meditations is the importance of analysing one's judgment of self and others and developing a cosmic perspective. Aurelius advocates finding one's place in the universe and sees that everything came from nature, and so everything shall return to it in due time. Another strong theme is maintaining focus and being without distraction while maintaining strong ethical principles such as "Being a good man".
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These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs
The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings by the Roman Emperor, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. The work is divided into 12 books, written in Koine Greek, and was never intended for publication. The title 'Meditations' is one of several assigned to the collection.
The writings take the form of quotations, varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs. They are not organised by theme but certain ideas recur throughout, indicating their importance to Marcus Aurelius. These include: change, death and the shortness of life; the role and importance of the rational mind and will; dealing with others and accepting their shortcomings; avoiding the chase for pleasure and fame; and living according to nature and fully accepting its course.
Marcus Aurelius's Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections, freeing a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world. He claims that the only way a man can be harmed by others is to allow his reaction to overpower him.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is nonfiction. It is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from AD 161 to 180, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
A central theme of Meditations is the importance of analyzing one's judgment of self and others and developing a cosmic perspective:
> You have the power to strip away many superfluous troubles located wholly in your judgment, and to possess a large room for yourself embracing in thought the whole cosmos, to consider everlasting time, to think of the rapid change in the parts of each thing, of how short it is from birth until dissolution, and how the void before birth and that after dissolution are equally infinite.
Some of the key takeaways from Meditations include:
- Our minds have great power. We can choose how we perceive events and we can always choose to be virtuous.
- People will always do awful (or at least unpleasant) things and we are only responsible for our own virtue.
- The deepest lesson in Meditations relates to our mortality and the shortness of life. We should reflect on death no matter how unpleasant it may be.
Some of the best quotes from Meditations include:
- "The happiness of your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
- "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way."
- "You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength."