Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Stoic Principles for Self-Improvement

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.

The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, the Roman Emperor (he featured briefly in the film Gladiator played by Richard Harris) is one of the classic works of personal philosophy.Aurelius is very much of the stoic school, which encouraged a fatalistic attitude to ill fortune, humility and acceptance.The book consists of his short aphorisms as well as some helpful footnotes. It works well on Kindle with no typos that I spotted. The translation is a little old fashioned, but serviceable enough.There are some real gems amongst the aphorisms, and these thoughts have deservedly retained their influence, insight and popularity over the years.

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.

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

It’s good in parts but almost unreadable in parts too. It may be the translation but it’s difficult to understand some parts. There are clearly references to contemporary Roman events and people and this adds to that. So read but don’t expect it to be a good read but worthwhile for a few nuggets of spiritual ideas.

A classic (literally) collection of self expression thoughts that can provide a grounded foundation for living and life in general

The annotations of Marcus Aurelius himself...If you don't have any regards to the moral question of reading the private journal of a man who lived roughly two millenia ago (like other millions of people), than this is most definitely a great read.But don't worry, just like how grave robbing isn't immoral if the grave is older than 100 years old (the current official consensus in the US, provided that some legal requirements are met), reading someone's private journal from millenia ago certainly isn't, specially due to the fact that this wasn't any man... He was Marcus Aurelius, I'm not going to go over details, it's not like I need to, specially since you are reading reviews for this book, that is, if you are indeed still reading this, if you are... Thank you.Anyway, to the actual review:A short "book", good casual read, or else, a book you can go through in mere days (or hours, depending on your time/dedication/read speed).With that said, I do recommend that you instead, read just a little bit of it a day, and don't rush it. Take your time, digest it well, appreciate the book.These are the words, the... Meditations, of the wisest emperor of the mighty Roman Empire.His name, reverenced and respected to this day as the benign, wise ruler, an example, a legacy of the stoic philosophy.Now that I'm done praising him and stating things you already knew, proceeding to the review (don't you eye-roll on me, keep reading).The book, wasn't written as a concise piece. Again. They are annotations that Marcus Aurelius made through his meditations, so don't expect it to have a progressive continuous feel to it, another reason for you not to read it all at once or in big chunks.Take your time, enjoy the book, read it piece by piece, day by day, digest it well, ponder upon what you've read and learn.Mark the parts you felt were important so you can revisit it, this is the kind of book you'll find yourself consulting again in trying times, or times when you just need a good reread or some wisdom of the wise thinkers of old. (I swear I'll stop using the word wise, it's almost over).I highly suggest... No, I demand that you also read Seneca's letters from a stoic.It's a book that's more consistent, since it is... well... the letters written by a stoic (Seneca) (to his friend, dear Lucillius), it can also (must) be read in small, digestible portions, letter by letter, go read my review on it, it's more objective and better than thisnone, I promise.Live a good life, have a great day.

Umm, a good book but i have to say that you still need a dictionary to understand many words, and it's definitely not a easy read.

Awesome

A good edition at a great price!

Lo recomiendo a cualquiera que desee hacer un análisis hago uno mismo. Llego en excelentes condiciones.