The Essential Marcus Aurelius (Tarcher Cornerstone Editions)

This was a fantastic read. I had it assigned for an Ethics and Rhetoric class. It was by far the best reading of the quarter. Accessible to anyone, and I mean absolutely anyone. Marcus Aurelius' vivacity, wisdom and wit is every bit as relevant today as when he wrote this nearly two millennium ago. I rushed through this in two weeks, as it was required to be read in that time span for the course I was taking. It could be finished in a day. However, I suggest taking your time with this. It is filled to the brim with pithy wisdom and poignant aphorisms that deserve meditation, reflection, and time to process. I'm going to re-read this book, but take it a very slow pace, perhaps even just an aphorism a day to really give myself time to absorb and enjoy this great philosophical treasure. The introduction was very readable and I enjoyed it almost as much as the text. The translator is a deft philosopher as well as translator. The translator notes that some sayings and sections have been cut out as they are highly debated and require more commentary to decode than this particular version can accommodate. I found I was okay with that. This is an introduction, and while it is of a scholarly quality, I do not think it is for serious scholars. There is no extensive commentary and precious few footnotes But that's the great thing about this text, you don't have to have any degrees or prior knowledge to understand and comprehend Aurelius' insight. It is the most accessible and practically applicable philosophical text I've ever read. Aurelius reached out to the philosopher in every human and shared his wisdom without pomp. Highly Recommended!

I am 74 years old, and have heard of this "book" since high school, but never got around to reading it. A dear friend gave me a Roman coin back in 1991, well used, inexpensive, "minted" in the reign of Marcus Aurelius, with his portrait on the front. It is now about 1,850 years old and is my most prized possession. I read about this Emperor in encyclopedias and on-line, but I finally decided to read his own thoughts. This version was inexpensive and looked suitable for a "beginner" like myself. I enjoyed this slim volume immensely. Marcus wrote down ideas he had or had accepted from his teachers about the soul, the commonality of the human race, the use of our minds, our duties to ourselves and others. He wasn't trying to create a best-selling book...the "meditations" range from one paragraph to two pages long, and were pretty much reminder notes to himself. But I was struck by how many passages, were you to take out the phrase "the gods" and change it to "God" came off just like a Christian reminder of behavior endorsed by Jesus. Of course, Jesus had been dead for about 150 years when Marcus was emperor, and his followers and the Roman authorities did not always get along under Marcus' rule. Marcus was a pagan, but I recently learned via an adult Sunday School lesson how diverse, and tolerant of different religious views, the average pagan really was. Often, pagans and the new cult of Christians could be good neighbors, just as a pagan household that worshipped half-a-dozen gods could co-exist peacefully with a pagan neighbor who rated only one of those worth the effort to officially revere. A lot of these "meditations" seem incredibly "modern" to me, and in fact. seemed to likely be a major influence over some the principles developed by the Alcoholics Anonymous and Al-Anon 12-step writings. Keeping calm, tolerant and modest, declining to judge other humans harshly, fixing oneself instead of others...all these occupied Marcus Aurelius, say, around the year 174 when my coin was struck. Simultaneously, he ran the Roman Empire, already in quite a decline since the days of Jesus, and led troops in battle quite a lot of the time. I am delighted to own such a small, well-traveled object as this worn coin with Marcus on front and Mars, the war god, on the back, and now I am happy to have finally read "Meditations."

Just buy it. Aurelius was a man for all seasons, and his wisdom applies to every human being. I've given six of these as gifts, and reference mine often.

It’s a book that should be in every home library. As you advance it gets more and more redundant, but still gleaned wisdom to ad to my personal life philosophy.

A truly self exploring leader who was in touch with the smallest creature to the richest leaders of the empire. A real page turner and will be reread many times over to get the full idea of what point he was trying to display. It will open up your own mind and may give you some new perspectives on modern life that come calling from the distant past. Highly recommended and relevant in today's world.

Every student should read this book. I did not know what to expect but what I received was so much more than I could have imagined.

This is my favorite edition of The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. The historical introduction is very helpful. The translation is clear, understandable and a pleasure to read. This abridged version of The Meditations may not satisfy those with a scholarly interest, but for the general reader it’s a wise and wonderful book. My copy is full of highlighting. I read it at least once every month. I consider it essential.

I regard The Meditations as a secular Bible. It makes no claims of being perfect, of being of divine origin. It was written by an imperfect but good man who was trying to find insights and lessons from his life, his thoughts, and the conduct and words of others. That an Emperor of Rome could write such wisdom makes me wish that he could be with us in our day. My esteem and gratitude for these meditations on life are profound. This newer translation of The Meditations does justice to the original words. It must be an exquistively difficult task at times to properly transfer the words from an ancient language and culture into our modern language. In this, Jacob Needleman and John P. Piazza have done an excellent job. I commend their translation to everyone.

I AMIRE MARCUS AURELIUS GREATLY BOTH AS A MILITARY LEADER AND AS THE GREATEST STOIC PHILOSOPHERF OF ALL TIME.I BOUGHT A COPY OF THIS BOOK AS A RETIREMENT GIFT FOR MY GP DR M J HUEY.BUY THIS BOOK PLEASE

Abridged in that it skips some of the sections. The book itself is a small, sturdy paperback. Lots of front material to justify selling what is essentially public domain. But if you want a hardcopy that is portable this is fine.

The Best book I have ever purchased. It will change your outlook on life and the universe. A need not a want!!!

The book is really good and it arrived in perfect condition. However amazon took more than 3 weeks to deliver this book. I was informed that it will arrive after 3 weeks and it did arrive after 3 weeks. I just wish it was quicker.

'Revere your capacity for decision-making; everything depends on this'. This is one of the hundreds of profound ideas explained by Marcus Aurelius, one of the 'good' Roman Emperors. Another favourite of mine is: 'Reject your sense of injury...and the injury itself disappears'. And the overall idea is about being part of the great Cosmos and seeking to fulfil the share of divinity that each of us gains by that. Having read this, I am quite inspired by having this share in the Cosmos. Marcus Aurelius continues to inspire new generations.