Meditations

I am reviewing the paperback edition (2011) of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations in the Oxford World's Classics edition, translated by Robin Hard with an introduction by Christopher Gill. I do not understand the one-star reviews that appear to have become attched to this edition of the Meditations. Those reviews and the images associated with a few of them must be referring to a completely different edition, and not the one I have in front of me that I reently purchased via Amazon. The Oxford World 's Classics edition (2011) is about as close to a perfect edition as you can get as a general reader. The translation is modern and fluent. There are no gobbledygook mistranslations as mentioned in some of the reviews. Robin Hard's translation of the Meditations is based on the the recent text by J. Dalfen (Leipzig, 2nd edn.,1987) while following the earlier translation by A S L Farquharson (Oxford, 1944) here and there. It reads consistently well, with no inappropriate modern slang or grammatical errors. It is a solid and clear text. The 18-page introduction by Christopher Gill is excellent in my view, particularly where it focuses on the form, purpose and style of the book, Marcus's philosophy, and the book's core ideas and recurrent themes. The selection of letters between Marcus and Fronto is also judicious and useful in fleshing out other aspects of Marcus Aurelius's character and thought. The 30-pages of explanatory notes and the index at the end of the book are also very helpful. So, all in all, I am entitely satisfied with this edition. I was simnply amazed to see the negative reviews, and felt prompted to provide this review to put the record straight as far as this specific edtion goes. As I said earier, those negative reviews must be referring to other editions of the Meditations and not to this specific one. This paperback edition Is 176 pages of clear, erudite and thoughtful work. if you want an edition that gives you just what you need to start reading and appreciating Marcus Aurelius's Meditations then this one - the 2011 Oxford Wolrd's Classics by Robin Hard and Christoper Gill - would be a very good place to start. And at the price I paid (£5.76), I am very pleased with it.

Although it reads like someone's journal (because it was) and the points in each of the somewhat unnecessary chapters are largely disconnected with each other, the actual content within these short aphorisms is sublime. I see some decrying this as a jumbled mess of a philosophic work but it was never intended as a treatise; Aurelius wrote it for his own personal consumption, a collection of his personal viewpoints on topics such as metaphysics and ethics. More to the point, what he wrote was beautiful, practical stoic philosophy as applicable now as it was ~1800 years ago, with the obvious exception of his religion. I find the similarities between his type of stoic thought and the philosophy of the Taoists and Buddhists both compelling and strong yet he remains firmly within a Roman set. This isn't an organised discourse or a philosophic novel to get lost in; more metaphysics in bite sized chunks, but it is well worth a read. I read it in a succession of bus journeys to and from work, and there was something very profound and "right" about that in itself! Definitely recommended, though I concede its not the be all and end all work of the stoic thinkers

Marcus Aurelius was emperor of Rome when it was at its peak; after his death, the empire slowly fell apart as those that followed him proved to be poor leaders. He was not the normal example of a Roman Emperor; scholastic, thoughful, abstemious, and this book gives good insight into what motivated him. The book itself is a Victorian translation, and the author has tried to make the text sound a bit dated by using language that he would have found little old, but to us would sound more archaic. Having said that, the words still come through quite well. It appears to be a series of books written over a period of time, and then brought together to make one single volume. There are a lot of really good passages throughout, with many examples of excellent advice for living a full and satisfying life. Although nearly 2000 years old, there is no question that many of his suggestions are as relevant today as they would have been at that time, and I would strongly recommend this book for those looking for ways to improve themselves. I would have given this 5 stars, but the style of writing does make it a bit awkward to follow sometimes. For that reason, I would suggest reading it in smaller sections.

In todays world, someone may think that this book talk about obvious things that we all know from everyday life. But how many of us is realy concentrated about, thinking and annalize about those simple thoughts? And how many of us give the importance about those short but essentials thinking? Who of us will stop in middle of a big city or walking among the beach and try to think just like Aurelius or Seneca did? Everybody is todays life is on a rush, about job and other things in our digitally-enhanced and video-saturated age. And consider thought from the ancient world "already" examined. But the truth is from the ancient wisdom (might be Greek, Hindu, Tibetan) have a truly essence of truth about us and about how we see the world around us. Yu may not like this book, so then take some book of Dalai Lama. You will find there the same principle about how to make your life simpler, easier and without inner struggle.

It's perhaps churlish to pick fault in this as it's for free. This is, however, a transfer from an 1893 translation of Marcus Aurelius and therefore the language is a little old-fashioned for modern readers. The 'thees' and 'thous' make for a rather turgid read and tends to give a rather 'Victorian Values' feel to the whole enterprise. The introduction by a Victorian scholar has great curiosity value and is perhaps indicative of how empire was viewed a century ago. I doubt a modern scholar would be quite so dismissive of the 'rude barbarians' on the borders of the empire. These free Kindle editions of ancient authors, though, are a great way to sample these works before forking out cash on more modern translations. As to Marcus Aurelius himself, well he's everyone's favourite Roman philosopher-emperor!

Succinct, profound words of wisdom that are as relevant now as they were in Aurelius' times. Makes you think about lifes importance and perspectives. Glad I have read them.

Can't recommend this book enough. Full of wisdom that is as applicable today as to when it was written. Encompassing all areas of life it really is a great read. Of course some of the language and concepts are a product of their time, but by taking the time to consider these adds to the understanding and depth of what is being discussed. Some of it may take a second or even third read to fully comprehend, but much of it can be easily applied to daily life and helps to put things into perspective, especially when you consider that Marcus Aurelius occupied the position of the most powerful man in the world. If you have some understanding of the classics then you'll get a great deal out of your first read of this book. If you don't then it is a great gateway to know some big figures/ideas of ancient times.

As you can see in the pictures, the paper is quite thin with the colour being off-white but not beige. An extract of book 5 has been pictured. This version is a decent translation though other translations may have more emotion or accuracy, for example Francis Hutcheson and James Moor directly specify “sparrows” instead of birds. The translation honestly makes a massive difference in how the words feel, so I recommend before purchase you compare a quote from different versions. I recommend the beginning of Book 5, simply google it and see sources such as wikisource or goodreads having variations. Also, amazon lists this many sellers for this one book. Make sure you choose which seller and format to buy from.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (5/5) „Meditations“ – zeitlose Lebensweisheit eines Philosophenkaisers 📌 Kurzfazit Die Meditationen sind keine systematische Philosophie, sondern persönliche Notizen eines Kaisers, der im 2. Jahrhundert n. Chr. über Sinn, Moral und Selbstbeherrschung nachdachte. Das Werk ist schlicht, eindringlich und universell – ein Text, der seit fast 2000 Jahren Menschen inspiriert, mit Klarheit und Gelassenheit zu leben. 📚 Inhalt in Kürze Grundgedanken des Stoizismus: Kontrolle über das, was in unserer Macht liegt – und Akzeptanz dessen, was wir nicht ändern können Konzentration auf Pflicht, Tugend und Vernunft Vergänglichkeit von Macht, Ruhm und Besitz Gelassenheit gegenüber Leid und Tod Kein Lehrbuch, sondern eine Sammlung persönlicher Reflexionen Entstanden während Feldzügen, in Momenten der Einsamkeit und Belastung 🔬 Wissenschaftliche Relevanz Stärken: Historisches Dokument: einzigartige Quelle für die stoische Philosophie und die Gedankenwelt eines römischen Kaisers. Philosophisch anschlussfähig an moderne Ethik, Psychologie (Resilienz, kognitive Verhaltenstherapie) und Achtsamkeit. Schwächen: Fragmentarisch, nicht systematisch aufgebaut. Stil kann durch Wiederholungen und Sprunghaftigkeit herausfordernd sein. 👉 Fazit Wissenschaft: Ein Grundtext der Philosophie, methodisch nicht als Theorie, sondern als Reflexionssammlung. 🌍 Kulturelle Relevanz Tiefgreifender Einfluss auf Philosophie, Literatur und Selbsthilfekultur. Zentrale Inspirationsquelle für moderne Bücher über Resilienz, Minimalismus, Stoizismus. Hat das Bild des „philosophischen Herrschers“ in der westlichen Kultur geprägt. Heute populärer denn je, besonders in Management-, Leadership- und Selbsthilfe-Kontexten. 💭 Meine persönliche Meinung Positiv: Klar, direkt, ohne Schnörkel – viele Passagen wirken erstaunlich modern. Kritisch: Manche Teile wiederholen sich stark; nicht jede Passage wirkt gleich tief. Für mich: ein Lebensbegleiter, den man immer wieder aufschlagen kann, statt ihn nur einmal durchzulesen. 🎯 Fazit Meditations ist ein zeitloses Meisterwerk der Lebensphilosophie, das weit über seine Epoche hinaus Bedeutung hat. Es bietet keine fertigen Rezepte, sondern Einsichten in das Ringen eines Menschen um Haltung, Pflicht und Gelassenheit. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – 5 von 5 Sternen Weil: philosophisch grundlegend, kulturell prägend und persönlich inspirierend.

One of the best translations of this book. A very good read, food for thought and a good introduction to the Stoics.

A good edition at a great price!

Awesome

Loved It. Every single Word. Marcus shows us the right way to be humble in life, how to survive and how to quit raging at yourself