Meditations
By Marcus Aurelius
This was first published in the year 180. Probably on a stone tablet or something. But Marcus Aurelius known as one of the only Roman emperors, ruling from 161 to 180, who was also a philosopher that wrote his views on life down. It is one of the earliest accounts of stoicism and how modern philosophy aims to understand the human experience. This is a fascinating, and quick read of essays from Marcus Aurelius who provides a refreshing view on life of just purely human experience stripped of all of the technology and social media. Fundamental values come to the forefront that will benefit you even today.
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Thoughts
Every now and then I get really into philosophy, but I have no background in it at all. I honestly don’t even know what philosophy is, but I think it has to do with wise people in history that look to understand the human experience and how we all work together in this thing called life. Marcus Aurelius is an OG in this regard, literally dating back to one of the first years (180), and provides a unique POV on the theory of stoicism. It’s a unique vantage point because he has none of the ridiculous problems that we do these days like technology, politicians that have their own reality TV shows, or social media viralism that consume our everyday psyche. Although some of the passages have words like “thy” and are slightly choppy translations into Ye Olde English there are great insights that will make you stop and think about how it relates to your life. And when a book makes you stop for a couple minutes to think about what you just read is a good book in my eyes.
Related Content
Recent Reads
Palaver House is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.