Marcus's insights and advice--on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others--have made the "Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. It is 50 pages of unbroken and dense text, making it difficult to start and stop, and even harder to continue. No logro entender como es que un emperador se posiciona como uno de los más importantes filósofos de todos los tiempos. His Stoic ideas often involve avoiding indulgence in sensory affections, a skill which will free a man from the pains and pleasures of the material world.

Arethas' own copy has now vanished, but it is thought to be the likely ancestor of the surviving manuscripts.

An illness had brought him near to death a year previously, and it was clear that he would not live forever. As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper to yourself, 'He may be dead in the morning. Ancient sources, in particular the gossipy Historia Augusta, tend to paint him as a self-indulgent degenerate—almost another Nero. Yes it’s quite a superficial and contemporary translation, but this allows it to be read by a new audience.

By 1568, when Xylander completed his second edition, he no longer had access to the source and it has been lost ever since. Focus on the things that are truly important in life, such as your relationships, your health, and your happiness. The important thing to understand is that this book was never intended to be read by anyone other than Marcus Aurelius.With bite-size insights and advice on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others, Meditations has become required reading not only for statesmen and philosophers alike, but also for generations of readers who responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. Other people's certainty that what he said was what he thought, and what he did was done without malice. And the last theme I noticed (not sure if it's part of Stoicism per se) was Marcus Aurelius's constant acknowledgement of the transient nature of things — even life itself.

It should be audible in your voice, visible in your eyes, like a lover who looks into your face and takes in the whole story at a glance. In the Introduction to his 1964 translation of Meditations, the Anglican priest Maxwell Staniforth discussed the profound impact of Stoicism on Christianity.

Do you think this is an attempt at emphasis through repetition or is there a subtleness that the depth of Greek (or Latin) allows and English does not? The work has no official title, so "Meditations" is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. The Puppet and the Sage: Images of the Self in Marcus Aurelius Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 38: 187–209.

He’s more of an obscure historical figure, what are you trying to accomplish in bringing his voice to a wider audience? Thou wilt die soon and thou are not yet simple nor free from perturbations, nor without suspicion of being hurt by external things, nor kindly disposed towards all; nor dost thou yet place wisdom only in acting justly. The way he handled the material comforts that fortune had supplied him in such abundance-without arrogance and without apology.

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. Actually the Vatican is quite generous about allowing scholarly access (they’ve been very helpful with my current project).