Meditations

Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.



Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius,  philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161-180). A series of spiritual exercises filled  with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it  remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written.  Marcus's insights and advice-on everything from living in the world to coping with  adversity and interacting with others-have made the Meditations required reading  for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have  responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles  to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and  spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand  years ago.



 In Gregory Hays's new translation-the first in thirty-five years-Marcus's thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh and unencumbered English, Hays vividly  conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek text. Never before have  Marcus's insights been so directly and powerfully presented.



 With an Introduction  that outlines Marcus's life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style  and construction of the Meditations, and the work's ongoing influence, this edition  makes it possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened  and intelligent leaders of any era.