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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius | 
 enlarge | Creator: George Long
Publisher: Avon Books
Category: Book
List Price: $8.50
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Rating:  111 reviews
Sales Rank: 1600964
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.4
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.9 x 0.4
ISBN: 038072216X
Dewey Decimal Number: 188
EAN: 9780380722167
ASIN: 038072216X
Publication Date: December 1993
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Amazon.com Review
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 IMeditations/I 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. I--H. O'Billovich/I
Product Description
The insights and knowledge of this famed philosopher and Emperor are just as applicable to situations in today's world as they were in ancient Rome. When The Wall Street Journal asked Bill Clinton to name one book, other than the Bible, that's important to him, Clinton chose Aurelius' Meditations, which he rereads every couple of years.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 106 more reviews...
 I bet even Marcus Aurelius would like this translation. October 24, 2008
Georgia C. (Boston, MA USA)
"And you can also commit an injustice by doing nothing." -- Marcus Aurelius, from Meditations br / br /My sister loves this book, but I was never able to get into it until I found this translation. Marcus Aurelius wrote this for his own usage - it was never intended for publication, much less being seen by others. It was something he was writing in uncertain times, and it's an intimate view of a man searching for peace and self-mastery. br / br /This grace and immediacy did not come across well in previous, more formal-sounding translations which seemed to imply that Marcus Aurelius was handing down maxims to a large crowd. Hays' new translation lets us get closer to the author, and also gain a deeper understanding of how badly Marcus needed this for his own sanity, and in turn, how much modern life needs his thoughts on being a decent person in an indecent world. br / br /I heard about a subway mugging (apologies - I can't remember where I read this, but it was within the past 3 years) in which a young man intervened, injuring himself in the process and becoming hospitalized. When asked why he inserted himself into a situation which he could have easily avoided, he quoted from this book. Just go and read this. It certainly invited me to consider a more wide-ranging perspective and a greater awareness of the daily thoughts that distract us, and the possibility of thinking nobler, more solid thoughts.
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! br / br /I never find a situation upon which this wise man did not speak. Very nice work! br / br /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 br /peace of spirit, if you think your job is too demanding, if you think br /your house is a chaos that inevitably makes your nerves explode...if br /you think some of that, then you should read Marcus Aurelius br /Meditations. He was for twenty years emperor of one of the largest br /empires that have ever existed, dealing with intrigues, Rome, wars br /at the borders....and he was also a master of himself, living in calm, br /austerity, integrity. The book is a collection of thoughts, br /reflections, whose central message is that what is really important is br /the tranquility of the self and not all the vanities or worries of the br /daily life. Marcus Aurelius teaches how to "Be firm as the rock br /against which the waves of the sea come and go". br /
The Hays translation: interesting and readable. June 10, 2008
Panzon (Planet Earth)
2 out of 3 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. br / br /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. br / br /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. br / br /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)
6 out of 11 found this review helpful
Here is what Gregory Hays, this translator, wrote: br /1. MY GRANDFATHER VERSUS. Character and self-control. br /This is choppy. These are sentence fragments. br /Here is how Maxwell Staniforth translated the same passage in the Meditations: br /1. Courtesy and serenity of temper I first learnt to know from my grandfather Versus. br / br /Heres another verse from Hays: br /2. MY FATHER (FROM MY OWN MEMORIES AND HIS REPUTATION). Integrity and manliness. br /From Staniforth: br /2. Manliness without ostentation I learnt from what I have heard and remember of my father. br / br /Heaven forbid you let a young person read the sentence fragments from Hays. Fortune cookies are more eloquent than Hays. br /
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