Books with title Meditations:

George Long’s translation of Marcus Aerelius’ Meditations was first published as The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aerelius in 1862. Aerelius was emperor of Rome from 161 until 180, the year of his death. When Aerelius originally wrote the work, a collection of his reflections and his ponderings about life, he called it simply “To Himself.” He wrote the work not for others, but for himself, as a means to guide his own spiritual journey. Meditations contains twelve books, each compiled of short pieces, some pieces just a single line. All of his reflections are based in the Stoic philosophy, and in fact Meditations is regarded as a principal Stoic work. The book is a pragmatic look at his philosophical and spiritual beliefs. Filled with aphorisms and notes of wisdom, Aerelius’ beliefs reflect those of Epictetus, whose life philosophy was to “endure and abstain.” The Stoics embraced reason and felt that becoming impervious to emotion would help them gain intellect and superior moral judgement. Aerulius warns against indulging in passions, even spending time pouring over books, and advocates living a simple life. Meditations has influenced many philosophers and writers, including Goethe, John Stuart Mill, and Frederick the Great. Aerelius’ Stoic reflections have also contributed Christian thought and Neoplatonism. George Long was an English classical scholar. He also translated thirteen of Plutarch’s Lives, Discourses of Epictetus, and Decline of the Roman Empire.

Meditations is a series of personal reflections by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161-180 CE, written over a series of years in far-flung places as he led the Romans in military campaigns, quashed revolts, and dealt with the other tribulations of governing the Empire. It is best described as a spiritual journal, containing a record of the emperor's philosophical exercises. Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. In it he sets forth his ideas on Stoic philosophy. The influence Meditations has had over centuries of thought is immeasurable. This ""unendingly moving and inspiring"" work is often cited alongside Jean Jacques Rousseau's Confessions and St. Augustine's Confessions in discussions of the most profoundly spiritual works outside of the Bible. Recently, former U.S. President Bill Clinton called Meditations his favorite book.

The profundity and spirit of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is brought out superbly in this authoritative edition of Meditations, translated by George Long. All twelve books are present, complete with their original footnotes which help to clarify and explain the meanings behind the passages. Since the original text was written in Greek after the spirit of many classical philosophers, an index of Greek terminology is also included at the conclusion for the benefit of the reader. The spirit of Stoicism, whereby Marcus Aurelius details a lifetime spent cultivating good habits, manners, attitude and evenness of temperament are laid out upon these pages evocatively. Many of the pages are thought to have been written at Sirmium, during periods of military planning. It is a strongly autobiographical text; each book focuses upon a different time - from upbringing to youth to maturity. The writing is famously frank, clear and honest - with none of the superiority or pretense one might expect of an Emperor of Rome. Marcus Aurelius was notable for his philosophical and stoical outlook on life, and for successfully melding these traits into a rule which was successful and popular among all classes of Roman society. Having studied extensively with the finest teachers of his era since childhood, it was with many reservations that Marcus would assume place as ruler of imperialist Rome, and the great responsibilities such a position entailed. Yet at the conclusion of his reign and life in 180 A.D., Marcus Aurelius was lauded for being the philosopher king of Platonic thought. Some passages of Meditations read as if written on the spot; prompt inspirations and thoughts gained between flurries of activity on a busy day. Others carry a more contemplative and regal air; likely written during periods of lengthier calm and pause from the stresses and demands that were part and parcel of being the chief commander of the Roman armed forces during such pivotal military campaigns. This text of Meditations is however timeless and inspiring. It is also quotable and succinctly memorable, as in these examples: "Take away your opinion, and there is taken away the complaint, [...] Take away the complaint, [...] and the hurt is gone." "Do not then consider life a thing of any value. For look at the immensity of time behind thee, and to the time which is before thee, another boundless space. In this infinity then what is the difference between him who lives three days and him who lives three generations?"

Meditations (Medieval Greek: Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν, romanized: Ta eis heauton, literally "things to one's self") is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible 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, because internal notes tell us that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the second book was written at Carnuntum.It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published and 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 Meditations is divided into 12 books that chronicle different periods of Marcus' life. Each book is not in chronological order and it was written for no one but himself. The style of writing that permeates the text is one that is simplified, straightforward, and perhaps reflecting Marcus' Stoic perspective on the text. Depending on the English translation, Marcus' style is not viewed as anything regal or belonging to royalty, but rather a man among other men, which allows the reader to relate to his wisdom.A central theme to Meditations is the importance of analyzing one's judgment of self and others and the development of a cosmic perspective. As he said "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".[3] He 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 of maintaining focus and to be without distraction all the while maintaining strong ethical principles such as "Being a good man."

Aurelius used to own the world. Back when the Roman Empire dominated a staggering percentage of available land mass, Aurelius was at the head. He fought wars, studied philosophy, watched over his kingdom, and watched even more carefully over himself. And lucky for you— he wrote his musings on life in a journal. Learning about stoicism (the philosophy central to this book) I realized that without knowing it, I’ve actually been living a pretty stoic life. In fact, I can see a lot of my reactions to life obstacles as having a stoic nature to them. This, I believe, is what’s helped me push through a lot of these circumstances and come out on top both in business and life in general. This is also why I feel this book — and stoicism in general — could be massively beneficial to you in your own struggle.