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. Roman stoicism, by contract, was a practical discipline—not an abstract system of thought, but an attitude of life. A kind of single-mindedness, almost, never content with first impressions, or breaking off the discussion prematurely. He always strived to become better, acutely aware of the responsibilities that lay on him and of the people's expectations, trying to meet them all.

It also contains valuable excerpts from the correspondence between Marcus and his rhetoric tutor Marcus Cornelius Fronto. Marcus often describes the world as being in a process of constant change, yet he sees an underlying unity and direction in the way it works. Os temas são extremamente atuais e quando se coloca em perspectiva que o Marcus Aurelius era o imperador do maior império do mundo à época, é impressionante ver como ele lutava com os mesmos problemas mundamos que nos afligem todos os dias. Not the easiest thing to do sometimes, but trying to realize when I am in other people’s business and not my own has helped me on a few occasions recently.Ancient philosophical ideas are not difficult or complicated in themselves, they are just written in (what can appear to the layman as) convoluted language. Meditations: With Selected Correspondence(2011) is by Robin Hard, with an introduction and commentary by Christopher Gill, professor emeritus of ancient thought at the University of Exeter, and is published by Oxford University Press. In much of this work I found that Aurelius's version of Stoicism to have much common ground with the tenants espoused in the New Testament.

Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. When plumbing such depths of existential philosophy, having to reread a sentence three or four times just to fathom what's being said inevitably saps energy from the ability to ponder the actual meaning of the text, turning what should be an edifying delight into a frustrating chore.What is there to say, that hasn't already been said, about words written for oneself almost two millennia in the past? Stop whatever you’re doing for a moment and ask yourself: Am I afraid of death because I won’t be able to do this anymore? It‘s such a unique comforting feeling, reading the thoughts of a young roman emporer and relating to them.

Marcus Aurelius' work Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a government of service and duty and has been praised for its "exquisite accent and its infinite tenderness. 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. Halfway through the book, I'm completely captivated by the wisdom of Marcus Aurelius, all thanks to Hays's lucid and easy-to-read translation. A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. We learn more about our bodies, souls, and minds and how to deal with emotions like anger, anxiety, grief, and so on.

His later reputation rests on his Meditations, written during his later years and never meant for formal publication Gregory Hays is assistant professor of classics at the University of Virginia.