The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

The Meditations By Marcus Aurelius Written A.C.E.. Translated by George Long. The Meditations has been divided into the following sections.
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This self-criticism is constructive. I was stuck in the middle seat. The person next to me was horrible. They were imposing in my space. They were being obnoxious.

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Then this hit me: Either I say something or I let it go. All the anger left me. I went back to what I was doing. I probably think of that line every other time I get on a plane now. To think that 3 or 4 generations of people may have owned this thing. That someone will own it after I die. The answer is because this is a Stoic exercise that goes back thousands of years and in fact, has also been observed by astronauts thousands of years later. All the things that people do hallucinogens to explore, you can also do while sober as a judge.

It just takes work. As I was writing it, a line from Marcus came rushing back from the recesses of my memory: I must avoid being changed and corrupted by my office. Not all of us hold executive power, but we all can use that advice. Or is this a modern line? Of course he would have! In fact, his psychopathic son probably killed a bunch of them in the coliseum.

Marcus supposedly hated the gladiatorial games but he definitely would have been familiar with a shocking amount of African wildlife. He was selected for the throne by Hadrian who set in line a succession plan that involved Hadrian adopting the elderly Antoninus Pius who in turn adopted Marcus Aurelius. When Marcus eventually ascended to the throne, what was his first decision?

He appointed his step-brother Lucius Verus co-emperor. He was given unlimited, executive power and the first thing he did was share it with someone he was not even technically related to? I asked him what his favorite passage was. Existence flows past us like a river: The infinity of past and future gapes before us—a chasm whose depths we cannot see.

This is a dead fish. For instance, to deconstruct things like power and seduction and to see the actual elements in play instead of the legends surrounding them. That is to live a false life. To me, people like Robert Greene were that master and so were people like Marcus.

You have to go straight to the sources of knowledge and absorb what you can from them. I would kill to flip through his copy! Did he sit down at night and read few pages? Are there interesting notes in the margins? What were his favorite passages? A more Stoic question: How many other famous or important men and women have sat down with a copy of Marcus? And where are they now? Gone and mostly forgotten. Recognition and rewards—those are just extra. It is this fortress, they believed, that protects our soul.

Though we might be physically vulnerable, though we might be at the mercy of fate in many ways, our inner domain is impenetrable. To be a good person. What if, instead, we ask about the times that we have been false to our friends? To him, this was a reminder that no matter how much he conquered, no matter how much he inflicted his will on the world, it would be like building a castle in the sand—soon to be erased by the winds of time. The same is true for us. One of my favorites is Marcus quoting a lost line from Euripides: Marcus has a good reminder: Which is an interesting and impressive thought…considering his job was as the first citizen of Rome.

He judged cases, heard appeals, sent troops into battle, appointed administrators, approved budgets. A lot rode on his choices and actions. He wrote this reminder to himself which beautifully illustrates the kind of man he was: A number of my favorite books came to me from my teachers. In fact, I was introduced to the Stoics by asking Dr. Drew for a book recommendation. Who did he recommend? We all do things in private that we would never do in front of other people. If someone else has done it—then it is humanly possible. We want so desperately what others have that we lose the pleasure of the things we already have.

Meditations - Marcus Aurelius - Full Audiobook!

Marcus provides a solution: Where is all that now? Smoke, dust, legend…or not even a legend. We should enjoy this brief time we have on earth—not be enslaved to emotions that make us miserable and dissatisfied. Marcus was clearly a big reader, he clearly took copious notes and studied philosophy deeply.

Yet he took the unusual step of reminding himself to put all that aside. At some point, we must stop our reading, put all the advice from Marcus and the other stoics aside and take action. To alternate between the reading and the doing. But I am making progress. Well worth the read. Ego is the Enemy was terrific.

Curiously, I own books on Stoicism. Bought them thinking they would be helpful on my journey, read them, but not to completion, and never really embraced the philosophy. The knowledge I now possess thanks to you, and the Stoic of course, has had a beneficial effect in my life. Keep up the great work. The fact that Stoicism has so much crossover between not only Eastern philosophy, but Native American beliefs and such really drives home the point of how connected everything is. Finding your blog led me to path of learning and making myself better and in small to spread this philosophy of self learning and applying what I learn to benefit myself and those who are close to me.

Recent transformations in my life allow me to understand this, believe it and now live it and be it. Or what others think who have not quite made it across the river of change? Thank you so much for recommending this book. I enjoy that I can just read a few sentences and feel like I have something to meditate on all day. About 10 years ago I also bought my now dog eared copy of Meditations. I did it because of the Silence of the Lambs quote… Which I found..

Meditations is an exalted term with perhaps some element of the mystic, but I prefer to think of Meditations now as the simple journal Marcus kept not intending or caring if anyone ever read it. Do it for yourself. Do it regardless of what happens. Marcus reaffirmed that for me with the fact that he probably never called it his Meditations.

Nor did he intend to maybe share it.

Meditations

He did it for himself. Like the cave paintings. I do believe the greater cosmos is congruent and conducive. It helps when we cooperate even if the nudges we ger from it seem to be impediments. October 24, by Ryan Holiday. His work has been translated into thirty languages and has appeared everywhere from the Columbia Journalism Review to Fast Company. He lives in Austin, Texas. Steven Sefton October 24, at Keep up the great work, Ryan! Steven Orlowski October 24, at 4: Roger October 24, at 7: Fantastic book — fantastic post.

And congrats on your impending fatherhood! Alex October 24, at 9: Thanks for the rundown. I enjoyed your viewpoints.

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Ali October 25, at I have no criticism, simply I point out this book is not a light read. If you are apt to reading philosophy, profound books that give you insight into the universe and your place in it, I cannot think of any greater book than the Meditations. Marcus Aurelius has been called Plato's philosopher-king, and though I disagree with this, I see the point: He did not want or consent to Plato's Republic, but he put his duties, his loved ones, and his country before his own interests.

He rejected luxury and comfort. He wrote to remind himself to lead by example, that he is the master of himself, that emotions cannot puppeteer him, and that pleasures cannot warp his logic and his will to do good. He reminded himself to always be favorable to all that came by him, even those that disagreed with him and spoke ill of him, for he believed they were brought to the earth to work together. He rejected unreasonable condemnation and unhelpful criticism as well as praise and arrogant pride. He looked to correct, not condemn, the ignorant, and stand agreeable and thankful, not prideful and bashful, when corrected.

He praised the universe for her inner-workings, borrowing from Plato's idea that all that is natural must in turn be good, if not for the individual, then for the whole, which then must still be good for the individual regardless. His metaphysics are not scientifically sound, the same for Plato, a large influence, but they do tap into the imagination. He ponders most on death.

Death is natural, and all that comes from nature must be good, therefore death is good. He reminds himself to never fear death as he would never fear breathing, or his eyes never fear seeing, or his hands ever fear writing. Death is a product of life, as sight is a product of the eyes, and writing all product of the hands, all natural consequences of being. What is there to fear? What is there to be angry about?

When irritated, whose fault is it? Yours, for allowing exterior happenings you cannot control affect your inner peace. My favorite part of the entire book is when he ponders on inner peace. Many would seek peace retiring to a calm village, a seaside home, or in the mountains far from the busy cities. Marcus argues he who has not inner peace in himself wherever, will never have inner peace whatever. Surroundings matter not, only your attitude.

Things I Learned in 10 Years and Reads of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations – leondumoulin.nl

This is the biggest lesson of the Meditations, the greatest wisdom Marcus has to offer: This was the principle Nelson Mandela stuck to when he was imprisoned. This is the principal that is the core of stoicism. Realize this, and you will find strength. It would be unfortunate going through life, pondering how to bring yourself happiness, when the secret to happiness was found 2, years ago. You do not have to accept all Marcus says, I do not agree with him on all things. But his wisdom is invaluable. You could go your whole life reading the Meditations and Seneca's letters and still not understand Stoicism the way Hadot can teach you in pages.

This is one of the best books I've ever read about anything; it is a true masterpiece and a shame that so few people will ever read it. Do yourself a favor and dive in. A great way to figure out that all of the technological advancements and greater understanding of nature has not changed man a single bit. We are still the same creatures we were 1, years ago.

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