Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library Classics)

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Today I escaped my anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions – not outside. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Marcus Aurelius isn't being prescriptive here. He's not even asking us to look internally to ourselves to become better people, or deal with grief or suffering or anger. He's asking himself to look internally. to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Every once in a while, I'd disagree with him. I think the advice we give ourselves sometimes is just not practical. Like Paul says, "Why do I do the things I don't want to do, and don't do the things I do want to do?" It's easy to say, "nothing can hurt you: it's just perception." Or, "There are no victims - only those who chose to be victims." I think that only works internally. I'm only a victim if I allow myself to be a victim. And maybe - maybe it's true for others as well. And maybe it's always true. But I can think of instances where - if I said that to someone - I'd be a victim because of the beating the community would give me for saying it. (Liz said, "Are you going to say that to a rape victim? That you're not a victim? That you're only a victim if you allow yourself to be?") And I find myself agreeing with her. The same thing with children who are victims. I will also note that I have not read any other translations of Meditations. So I'm not qualified to note if this is a good one or not. Considering how many people a book like this has to go through before getting published, I would imagine that it is at least passable. People's opinion on this subject tends to depend on which translation they read first.

Gregory Hays Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Review Gregory Hays Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Review

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Can’t you see? It’s just the same with you-and just as vital to nature. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius He also confronts death, change, nature, human interactions. As put by Hays, Meditations recurring themes are:

Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius | Goodreads

I think my single most important takeaway from this book would be the Latin phrase 'Ad Infinitum', which means again and again. It's important to read this with a contextual understanding of consistency and never giving up attitude. This doesn't mean that I agree with nor do I believe everything Aurelius says. Of course, this is the beauty of philosophy—it simply begs you to think. The actual “book” however is decent. I call it a “book” specifically because this is not truly a book. It’s a glorified diary from someone who lived a very long time ago. With the way the introduction was written, who knows what was lost to history and what the translator had the liberty of changing. This diary had its moments where a point connected with me and had me questioning something in my life which is why I gave it 3 stars. There are valuable lessons in this, some more valuable than others depending on the person, which make me glad I read it. On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It by Seneca (Author), C. D. N. Costa (Translator) And why is it so hard when things go against you? If it’s imposed by nature, accept it gladly and stop fighting it. And if not, work out what your own nature requires, and aim at that, even if it brings you no glory. Meditations by Marcus AureliusMarcus Aurelius used philosophy as we used religion — as a way of constructing a worldview and of ethics and a proper way of living. Of all the different philosophies, Marcus Aurelius most heavily ascribed to Stoicism. "Stoicism has even been described, not altogether unfairly, as the real religion of upper-class Romans," Hays writes in the Introduction. Stoicism not only is concerned with how to live one's life, but also how to view the world. "Roman stoicism, by contract, was a practical discipline—not an abstract system of thought, but an attitude of life." To feel affection for people even when they make mistakes is uniquely human. You can do it, if you simply recognize: that they’re human too. They act out of ignorance, against their will, and that you’ll both be dead before long. And, above all, that they haven’t really hurt you. They haven’t diminished your ability to choose. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius Live in the present moment. Don't dwell on the past or worry about the future. Focus on the present moment and make the most of it. Book Review, Highlights, and Quotes from Meditations: A New Translation by Marcus Aurelius – Translated by Gregory Hays Life happens" is a very stoic modern phrase, and I think it sums it up fairly well. Of course there's more to Stoicism, but a constant theme throughout Meditations is the need to not push against the flow of life; to accept what "Nature" has done. Your car breaks down? Well, getting upset about it is causing you unnecessary suffering and grief. Accept what life has thrown at you and move on with it. Alexander Pope said, "whatever is, is right."

Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay | Waterstones Meditations by Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay | Waterstones

This is the only translation of Aurelius that I have read. It was clear with a helpful glossary of people in the Appendix. I will probably read this again in the future. When faced with people’s bad behavior, turn around and ask when you have acted like that. When you saw money as a good, or pleasure, or social position Your anger will subdue as soon as you recognize that they acted under compulsion (what else could they do?). Meditations by Marcus Aurelius I can see myself revisiting this consistently to continue to gain more and more knowledge and information about the stoic way of life for many years to come. An must read for anyone looking to improve and live their best life. As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper to yourself, 'He may be dead in the morning.'

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Forgive yourself and others. Holding on to anger and resentment will only hurt you in the long run. Forgive yourself and others so that you can move on with your life. You don’t have to turn this into something. It doesn’t have to upset you. Things can’t shape our decisions by themselves Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library (Hardcover Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library (Hardcover

I read that passage to Liz, and she said, "I get that he's a stoic - I think he's not - but he WANTS to be - so he gives himself all these reminders." He - like many of us - understands the nature of the world. We've read Ecclesiastes - Vanity of vanities: all is vanity. ...What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing of which it is said, “See, this is new”? It has been already in the ages before us. There is no remembrance of former things, nor will there be any remembrance of later things yet to be among those who come after." Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (a.d. 121–180) succeeded his adoptive father as emperor of Rome in a.d. 161—and Meditations remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. With a profound understanding of human behavior, Marcus provides insights, wisdom, and practical guidance on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity to interacting with others. Consequently, the Meditations have become required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. In Gregory Hays’s new translation—the first in a generation—Marcus’s thoughts speak with a new immediacy: never before have they been so directly and powerfully presented.And while I found Meditations to be profound at times, I also found it to be a frustrating read to really dive into, and downright depressing at times. The forward warned: