Meditations

A beautiful, deluxe hardcover edition of Marcus Aurelius's timeless classic Meditations, a book that has inspired and influenced people for nearly two millennia.

The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius are not only one of the most important expressions of stoic philosophy but also an enduringly inspiring guide to living a good and just life.

The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (A.D. 121–180) embodied in his person that deeply cherished, ideal figure of antiquity, the philosopher-king. Written in moments snatched from military campaigns and the rigors of politics, these ethical and spiritual reflections reveal a mind of exceptional clarity and originality, and a spirit attuned to both the particulars of human destiny and the vast patterns that underlie it.

A.S.L. Farquharson (1871–1942) spent a lifetime on his edition of the Meditations, which is one of the outstanding twentieth-century achievements of classical scholarship. All the notes to the Farquharson translation, amplifying the twelve books of the Meditations, are included in this volume.

Everyman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Everyman’s Library Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.

“"The Meditationsremain, unendingly moving and inspiring, the communings with itself of a thoughtful and devout soul upon the greatest of human issues. They are not, and do not claim to be, a work of original philosophy, nor yet a systematic exposition of a tradition of thought. They speak for themselves. Only by the slenderest of chances have they come down to the modern world at all . . . but the number of times they have been published . . . and above all translated into a vast variety of tongues, would have filled their author with amazement." from the Introduction by D. A. Rees”

“I kind of thrive on stress, so I’m almost embarrassed by how comforting I find this book.”—Anna Kendrick, The New York Times

“Almost daily, I read a page or two of wisdom. It is unbelievable to see how the emperor’s words have stood the test of time.”—Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wall Street Journal

“[The Meditations] are [Aurelius’s] admonishments with himself to be wiser, kinder, more focused, less irritable; not intended for anyone to see, let alone be published. Oh, to have a leader who was trying this damn hard.”—Will Hersey, Esquire

MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS was born to an upper-class Roman family in A.D. 121 and was later adopted by the future emperor Antoninus Pius, whom he succeeded in 161. His reign was marked by a successful campaign against Parthia, but was overshadowed in later years by plague, an abortive revolt in the eastern provinces, and the deaths of friends and family, including his co-emperor Lucius Verus. A student of philosophy from his earliest youth, he was especially influenced by the first-century Stoic thinker Epictetus. His later reputation rests on his Meditations, written during his later years and never meant for formal publication. He died in 180, while campaigning against the barbarian tribes on Rome’s northern frontier.

A. S. L. FARQUHARSON (1871–1942) spent a lifetime on his edition of the Meditations, which is one of the outstanding twentieth-century achievements of classical scholarship. All the notes to the Farquharson translation, amplifying the twelve books of the Meditations, are included in this volume.

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