I read that passage to Liz, and she said, "I get that he's a stoic - I think he's not - but he WANTS to be - so he gives himself all these reminders. Constantly run down the list of those who felt intense anger at something: the most famous, the most unfortunate, the most hated, the most whatever. And if you are interested in Stoicism, then you should also take a look at some other books that explore Stoicism, Buddhism, happiness and enjoying life. Nearly two thousand years after it was written, i Meditations i remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.

I could find no listing on Goodreads that I'm confident is a fair reflection of what I actually read. I used several modern editions of the Greek text, of which the most recent is by the German scholar Joachim Dalfen. Marcus Aurelius is said to have been fond of quoting Plato’s dictum, and those who have written about him have rarely been able to resist applying it to Marcus himself.p With an Introduction that outlines Marcus's life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style and construction of the Meditations, and the work's ongoing influence, this edition makes it possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened and intelligent leaders of any era. The first book of the Meditations pays tribute to a number of philosophers from whom Marcus learned, both formally and informally, and he is likely to have studied with or listened to many others. And to help others and be eager to share, not to be a pessimist, and never to doubt your friends' affection for you.

The reading speed is crazy fast for this kind of material, the narrator makes no pauses between sentences. In much of this work I found that Aurelius's version of Stoicism to have much common ground with the tenants espoused in the New Testament. Iain King suggests the books may also have been written for mental stimulation, as Aurelius was removed from the cultural and intellectual life of Rome for the first time in his life. Much of his time was spent fielding problems that had moved up the administrative ladder: receiving embassies from the large cities of the empire, trying appeals of criminal cases, answering queries from provincial governors and dealing with petitions from individuals.They saw him for what he was: a man tested by life, accomplished, unswayed by flattery, qualified to govern both himself and them. When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on . Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself: an English translation with introductory study on stoicism and the last of the Stoics, by G.