Meditations

A New Translation

By: Marcus Aurelius, Gregory Hays - translator, Ryan Holiday - introduction

Narrated by: Roger Davis, Ryan Holiday

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Timeless insights into what it takes to lead a meaningful life—still profoundly relevant nearly two thousand years later.

Now featuring a brand-new foreword from Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle Is the Way!

“Meditations offers a glimpse into [Marcus Aurelius’s] mind, his habits, and his approach to life. . . . I think any reader would find something useful to take away from it.”—James Clear, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits

“It is unbelievable to see how the emperor’s words have stood the test of time. . . . Read a page or two anytime you feel like the world is too much.”—Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wall Street Journal

Your ability to control your thoughts—treat it with respect. It’s all that protects your mind from false perceptions—false to your nature, and that of all rational beings.

A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. With bite-size insights and advice on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others, Meditations has become required reading not only for statesmen and philosophers alike, but also for generations of readers who responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style.

In Gregory Hays’s translation—the first in nearly four decades—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.

Critic reviews

“Here, for our age, is [Marcus’s] great work presented in its entirety, strongly introduced and freshly, elegantly translated.” —Robert Fagles

Great book

Great book. I will listen to it again. Practical wisdom that can be incorporated into one’s behavior/thoughts/life.

Life Changing

Cannot thank you enough, Marcus! Truly a blessing to have your wise words bestowed upon us!

The Foundational Book of Stoicism

With parallels to the Book of Proverbs, Meditations is a glimpse into the mind and thoughts of the most powerful man of his time. Meant to be a personal journal, a space in which he can capture his feelings and wrestle with his thoughts, Marcus Aurelius' words serve as guidance for self betterment that is rooted in honesty, integrity, and humility. So much of what he wrote is applicable in our modern world and is foundational in the aspects of leadership, community, and basic human decency. This is a book you'll want to read, re-read, study, and apply to your everyday life. If you are a fan of stoicism, then Meditations is an essential addition to your library.

Did not like the narrator

I could not finish this book. The voce of the narrator in unbearable. It made the whole experience worse.

Great material; narration is painful

Great material. Surprising that Ryan Holiday gave a modern preface to an unfortunately abrasive narration voice with hyper enunciation. Find another version.