Meditations
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Meditations ( ) is a collection of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161–180 AD, which record his private notes to himself and his reflections on Stoic philosophy.
Meditations ( ) is a collection of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161–180 AD, which record his private notes to himself and his reflections on Stoic philosophy.
Composition
Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium (modern-day Sremska Mitrovica, Serbia), where he spent much time planning military campaigns in 170–180 AD. A portion of his work was written while he was on campaign, because internal notes reveal that the first book was "written in the country of the Quadi, at the Granova" (modern-day Hron River in Slovakia) and the second book was written at Carnuntum. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published. The work has no official title, so "Meditations" is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.
Reception
See also
John Bourchier, 2nd Baron Berners Memento mori
References
Sources
Further reading
Annas, Julia. 2004. "Marcus Aurelius: Ethics and Its Background." Rhizai: A Journal for Ancient Philosophy and Science 2:103–119. Berryman, Sylvia Ann. 2010. "The Puppet and the Sage: Images of the Self in Marcus Aurelius." Oxford Studies in Ancient Philosophy 38: 187–209. Dickson, Keith. 2009. "Oneself as Others: Aurelius and Autobiography." Arethusa 42.1: 99–125. Gill, Christopher. 2012. "Marcus and Previous Stoic Literature." In A Companion to Marcus Aurelius. Edited by Marcel van Ackeren, 382–395. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Hadot, Pierre. 2001. The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. Kraye, Jill. 2012. "Marcus Aurelius and Neostoicism in Early Modern Philosophy." In A Companion to Marcus Aurelius. Edited by Marcel van Ackeren, 515–531. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell. Rees, D. A. 2000. "Joseph Bryennius and Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations." Classical Quarterly 52.2: 584–596. Robertson, D. 2019. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. New York: St. Martin's Press. Rutherford, R. B. 1989. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: A Study. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Sellars, J. 2021. Marcus Aurelius. London: Routledge. Sellars, J. 2025. The Cambridge Companion to Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Stephens, William O. 2012. Marcus Aurelius: A Guide for the Perplexed. London and New York: Bloomsbury (Continuum). Wolf, Edita. 2016. "Others as Matter of Indifference in Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations." Acta Universitatis Carolinae. Graecolatina Pragensia 2:13–23.
External links
Studies
Translations
translated by George Long, at Wikisource The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, by George Long, 1862, at the Stoic Therapy eLibrary Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself: an English translation with introductory study on stoicism and the last of the Stoics, by G.H. Rendall, 1898, at the Stoic Therapy eLibrary The Meditations by Marcus Aurelius at Project Gutenberg, gutenberg.org Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, a new translation from the Greek original, with a Life, Notes, &c., by R. Graves, 1792, at Google Books Multiple editions of the Meditations at the Internet Archive
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