Meditations

Excellent

For a book written 19 centuries ago, the information is still relevant. The author, Marcus Aurelius, was a 2nd century A.D. Roman emperor, and "Meditations" seems to be both a reflection on his life and advise for living a good life. Unlike the self-help books of today that are filled with pithy and pseudointellectual psychobabble, "Meditations" wasn't written to make the author rich by selling books and having seminars. The information and advise is actually useful in everyday life, such as 'A problem cannot bother you unless you let it bother you', which I didn't put in quotes because I don't remember the exact words, but it does ma,e perfect sense and has helped me with driving in traffic the last few days.It's not a book that you want to read all at once, anymore than you would want to read a textbook all at once: you won't be able to retain all of the information, and it's not a contest to see who can finish first. Think of it as a fine meal for both soul and mind and savor it slowly, without rushing.

A great book, nicely printed. I love even the loook of the cover leave alone the ever so up to date text of the meditations. My personal favorite. To those who seek how to live the life of dignity, respect and honor, highly recommended.

Meu primeiro contato com “Meditacões” ocorreu quando li o excelente livro “Trem Noturno para Lisboa”, de Pascoal Mercier (ver resenha). Quem já fez cursos de autoajuda ou terapia conhece bem a frase: "Sucesso: Está tudo em sua mente!". Mesmo Shakespeare parece ter sido contagiado pelo pensamento de Marco Aurélio sobre o poder da mente, por exemplo, quando Hamlet declara: "... não há nada bom ou ruim, mas o pensamento torna assim". Mas cuidado. Tal como acontece com a maioria dos trabalhos falados ou escritos torna-se muito fácil perder totalmente o complexo conjunto da filosofia de Marco Aurélio. Esse sujeito assume a vida de forma holística, e não superficial; ele passou muito tempo pensando no universo e o seu lugar nele. Seu conselho para si mesmo não é apenas útil e sábio; é um portal para outra vida, e qualquer um pode lê-lo. Marco Aurélio nos ensina como lidar com grandes questões como morte, relacionamentos, família, sempre mantendo o pé no chão. “Mesmo em um palácio a vida pode ser bem vivida – dizia ele”. Lembro o leitor que ele era o Imperador de Roma, então tinha coisas sérias para fazer em seu trabalho diário; ele não tinha tempo para olhar seu umbigo vazio; ele precisava de uma filosofia que realmente fazia sentido, no presente, para alguém que vive uma vida ativa. Enfim, “Meditações” é um dos poucos livros que tem a capacidade de ajudar tanto homens quanto mulheres, diretamente e imediatamente, a viverem melhor, a suportarem com grande dignidade e perseverança o fardo de serem meramente humanos. Termino com um belo aforismo: “Estudamos Aristóteles e levamos Marco Aurélio no coração”. Passar bem!

This translation of Meditations by Maxwell Staniforth (this is not the Gregory Hays translation that a lot of people are reviewing) is the best I've read. It reads clearly and simply, with no useless ornamentation to the text. Indeed, what I like about the Great Ideas series that this is a part of is its lack of extras--forewords and introductions and the like which, though often helpful, are usually written by people other than the author and sometimes set the reader up to completely misinterpret what they are about to read. This copy of Marcus Aurelius is only Marcus Aurelius, with perhaps a dozen or so explanatory footnotes sprinkled throughout.The book itself is well-known, content-wise. The titular meditations are bite-sized thoughts written down by Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius during his later years, as he reflected on his past while campaigning in the north. He was one of the greatest and most famous stoics who ever lived, and this book encapsulates his personal philosophy and manner of thought. His ideas are at once brilliant, challenging, and soothing, making this book good down-time reading and an excellent gift for a friend. I've read it several times, finding something new and moving every time.This is a very good edition of Meditations to have. The text is completely intact--not a selection--and the translation is clear and precise, but never boring. Maxwell Staniforth has done us all a great service with this translation of the last good emperor's journals.Highly recommended.

It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.This and the headline, the words of Marcus Aurelius. The wisdom of the ages through the ages. By a miracle they remain with us. The Logos intended it it to be thus. A book worthy of your time and your reflection. I refer to it often, a constant companion even when the cover is closed.