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Meditations (Penguin Classics) | 
 enlarge | Author: Marcus Aurelius
Creators: Martin Hammond, Diskin Clay
Publisher: Penguin Classics
Category: Book
List Price: $10.00
Buy New: $5.44
You Save: $4.56 (46%)
New (34) Used (23) from $5.00
Rating:  111 reviews
Sales Rank: 6036
Media: Paperback
Pages: 304
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5 x 0.8
ISBN: 0140449337
Dewey Decimal Number: 188
EAN: 9780140449334
ASIN: 0140449337
Publication Date: October 31, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Amazon.com
One measure, perhaps, of a book's worth, is its intergenerational pliancy: do new readers acquire it and interpret it afresh down through the ages? The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated and introduced by Gregory Hays, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Hays suggests that its most recent incarnation--as a self-help book--is not only valid, but may be close to the author's intent. The book, which Hays calls, fondly, a "haphazard set of notes," is indicative of the role of philosophy among the ancients in that it is "expected to provide a 'design for living.'" And it does, both aphoristically ("Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly.") and rhetorically ("What is it in ourselves that we should prize?"). Whether these, and other entries ("Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life.") sound life-changing or like entries in a teenager's diary is up to the individual reader, as it should be. Hays's introduction, which sketches the life of Marcus Aurelius (emperor of Rome A.D. 161-180) as well as the basic tenets of stoicism, is accessible and jaunty. --H. O'Billovich
Product Description
A new translation of the philosophical journey that has inspired luminaries from Matthew Arnold to Bill Clinton
Written by an intellectual Roman emperor, the Meditations offer a wide range of spiritual reflections developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and the universe. Marcus Aurelius covers topics as diverse as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods, and his own emotions, spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation.
* Includes an introduction, chronology, explanatory notes, general index, index of quotations, and index of names
Download Description
A timeless classic of wisdom by a enlightened Roman Emperor who was one of the great minds of history.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 106 more reviews...
 Profound! August 14, 2008
W. S. Jones (Noblesville, IN USA)
I bought this a couple of years ago and my copy is full of markings and is getting quite ragged now!
I never find a situation upon which this wise man did not speak. Very nice work!
I do know a fair bit of Greek but I have still enjoyed Prof. Hays' translation. I'd recommend a copy to every young graduate you know!
Emperor of Rome and himself June 18, 2008
Santiago Restrepo (Bogota, Colombia)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
If you think you cannot have at the same time a complicated job and
peace of spirit, if you think your job is too demanding, if you think
your house is a chaos that inevitably makes your nerves explode...if
you think some of that, then you should read Marcus Aurelius
Meditations. He was for twenty years emperor of one of the largest
empires that have ever existed, dealing with intrigues, Rome, wars
at the borders....and he was also a master of himself, living in calm,
austerity, integrity. The book is a collection of thoughts,
reflections, whose central message is that what is really important is
the tranquility of the self and not all the vanities or worries of the
daily life. Marcus Aurelius teaches how to "Be firm as the rock
against which the waves of the sea come and go".
The Hays translation: interesting and readable. June 10, 2008
Panzon (Planet Earth)
2 out of 4 found this review helpful
Those turned off by older translations of "Meditations" containing all the "thys" and "thous" (as I was) need wait no longer....Gregory Hays has saved the day.
This is an excellent and very readable version of the ancient Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius' personal notebooks and musings, and it can be extremely valuable to the inner seeker.
Personal responsiblity in every aspect of life is emphasized, as is the acceptance of death and the position that we are free to leave this Earth whenever we choose (a very heavy viewpoint for some). Much has been made of the "bleak" worldview of Marcus, but in my opinion, it's not bleak to see things as they are, just....realistic.
I highly recommend this book to all who want to learn to look within (and without) in a more effective way.
 Awful version of the Meditations April 25, 2008
From_Plano_TX (Plano, TX USA)
4 out of 11 found this review helpful
Here is what Gregory Hays, this translator, wrote:
1. MY GRANDFATHER VERSUS. Character and self-control.
This is choppy. These are sentence fragments.
Here is how Maxwell Staniforth translated the same passage in the Meditations:
1. Courtesy and serenity of temper I first learnt to know from my grandfather Versus.
Heres another verse from Hays:
2. MY FATHER (FROM MY OWN MEMORIES AND HIS REPUTATION). Integrity and manliness.
From Staniforth:
2. Manliness without ostentation I learnt from what I have heard and remember of my father.
Heaven forbid you let a young person read the sentence fragments from Hays. Fortune cookies are more eloquent than Hays.
Wisdom from the Emperor-Philosopher April 15, 2008
Brian Johnson (Topanga, CA)
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
"Your mind will be like its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts. Soak it then in such trains of thoughts as, for example: Where life is possible at all, a right life is possible." ~ Marcus Aurelius from "Meditations"
Not only is Marcus Aurelius one of my heroes, he's also one of history's leading Stoic Philosophers. Stoic philosophy. You know, one of the classic Hellenistic philosophies--right there with Epicureanism and Cynicism.
Huh?
Whether or not you've heard of Stoicism, you've probably met one of its leading thinkers: Marcus Aurelius--he's the old emperor in the movie "Gladiator." :)
Quick historical context:
It was in the 2nd Century, during battles against Barbarian tribes in the Danube region near Hungary (not unlike the opening scene of "Gladiator"), when Aurelius wrote "Meditations."
Imagine the powerful Roman Empire: encompassing vast territory from England to Spain and Africa, to Egypt, Arabia and Turkey. This is the Empire that Marcus Aurelius defended from barbarians and pestilence and plague at every border. Now, you can imagine Aurelius, the Emperor of this vast empire, trained in the Stoic philosophy, reminding himself to live the philosophy during some of the most trying times of his rule--in the battlefields of war.
Interestingly, the literal translation of the title is "To Himself"--as Aurelius was simply jotting notes to himself in his private journal. His intention was not to publish anything; rather, he used his journal to remind himself of the lessons he learned as a young nobleman being groomed to one-day rule the empire. The book is broken down into bite-size nuggets of wisdom that you can enjoy a few minutes at a time. I highly recommend you start enjoying!
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