Marcus Aurelius,Meditations PDF

In the history books of our world, Marcus Aurelius is often credited with being one of the five good emperors of the Roman Empire. However, his approach to life and collected thoughts are what make him famous for more than just his title.

Meditations

The Meditations are a collection of entries written by the Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius (121 AD – 180 AD). They originally had no title and were not meant for an audience. He wrote them for his own benefit.

They were written in Greek – the language of the intelligentsia, and they are believed to have been originally not intended for publication. Nevertheless, they have stood the test of time and are still revered by academics, as well as the general public.

Whether they are formal short essays, or simply aphorisms, there is considerable variety in the way these entries are arranged and presented. Some, like Book 2 and 3, are in the developed form of a short essay, laying down a philosophical point; others, like Book 6 and 7, are catalogues of principles he believes to be basic.

These entries also contain a great deal of Stoic theory, inherited from Epictetus. For example, in a passage such as this: “The things that upset us, in general, are not the things themselves but rather our judgements about them”

These ideas were revolutionary at the time, and are still relevant today. For a long time, the Stoics and Cynics were the only school of philosophy to agree with the idea that one’s self could be invulnerable, that no one or anything could break the soul of the individual, even under the most difficult circumstances.