The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus: A new rendering based on the Foulis translation of 1742
Marcus Aurelius
The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus: A new rendering based on the Foulis translation of 1742
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"The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus" by Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings composed between 170-180 CE. Written in Greek as private notes to himself, these reflections capture the Roman Emperor's thoughts on Stoic philosophy and self-improvement during military campaigns. Never intended for publication, the twelve books explore analyzing one's judgment, finding one's place in the universe, maintaining focus, and living according to reason. The work examines how to rise above material concerns and achieve inner harmony through rationality and clear-mindedness.
About the author
Marcus Aurelius (121–180) was Roman emperor from 161 until his death and the last of the rulers Machiavelli called the Five Good Emperors. He wrote the Meditations in Greek, in camp on the Danube frontier, during years consumed by war and by a plague that killed millions across the empire — not as a book but as private notes, reminders to himself of what a Stoic already knows and keeps forgetting. Nothing suggests he meant anyone to read them. They survived by an accident nobody has explained and were first printed in 1559, fourteen centuries after he made them.