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Summary: Inner peace and ethical living
Review: This is a truly great book, and I've read it three times now. This is inspite of the fact that the style is a bit dense for the modern reader.
Personally, I have always been attracted to the Stoic emphasis on inner peace and ethical living according to the example of nature and the cosmos.
It is not surprising that Aurelius was also a great influence on Henry David Thoreau. I understand that President Clinton cited this as his favorite book, though for the life of me I cannot concieve of him as a Stoic- Epicurian perhaps, but not Stoic....
I was struck by Aurelius's repeated admonition that it makes no difference whether one lives 40 years or 10,000- you will still have experienced everything, for nothing is new and everything repeats in endless cycles. He is right, once you get past 40, these repeating cycles become more and more apparent....
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Summary: Superb New Modern Translation
Review: It's long overdue that the public receives a modernernized translation of Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations". Up until now, all the translations that we had available to us in English of this intriguing work have been, well, rather dull and "dry". All that is changed. Gregory Hayes has done some fine work here. I personally congratulate him, and thank him for his efforts.I still wouldn't necessarily call this book a thrill-a-minute, page-turner of suspense, but thanks to a more contemporary language-treatment, the experience is a whole lot less burdensome to get through. The ride may not be the best fun you've ever had reading a book, but it's considerably less painful now, thanks to this "user-friendly" updated version. Comparison to older translations shows it to be accurate in meaning and tone, and if he were alive today, I think Marcus Aurelius would recommend this version of his work for us (as modern readers) to enjoy for years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: "A Timeless Classic"
Review: The imperial saint, Marcus Aurelius, penned much of his "Mediations" late in his lifetime while fighting the infamous Macromannic Wars, and they are a reflection of his devotion to Zeus, philosophy, nature, the State, and life in general. He addressed the "Mediations"--which are written in Greek--to himself, and so the text has suffered at times due to careless composition; at times this causes his writings to appear awkward and grammatically flawed, though for the most part they are eloquent, poetic and full of wise sayings. To stress Aurelius deep knowledge of Greek philosophy, it most be noted that while he himself was committed the tenets of Stoic philosophy, his "Mediations" still contain elements of Platonism, and even Epicureanism as well. This work is a timeless classic and a must have.
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Summary: A manual for living well
Review: The writings of Marcus Aurelius contain wisdom for the ages. This version can be opened to almost any page at random and the reader will find something to ponder that is relevant. I carry this with me when I travel and keep it on my nightstand. The penguin paperback versions of the great thinkers of the ancient world are some of the best values in the book world. Cicero, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius have much to say that is timeless and these translations make the thought of these astounding characters accessable to the general reader.
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Summary: Forget All Those Modern Micro-Sized Gimmick Books
Review: Written in a simple, direct style, meditations is the type of book you can read in small bytes. It's like reading someone's diary, although the sage information contained therein differentiates it from most diaries. The advice imparted is as fresh and relevant today as it was back all those centuries ago. Theist, atheist, or agnostic alike can glean knowledge from this book and it can be particularly relevant to their daily life.
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Summary: Repetitive and impractical
Review: I guess I don't buy into stoicism wholly. I think the book is very repetitive and highly impractical, though of course it all sounds very lofty. I heard that Staniforth's translation is the best, and probably it's very close to the original, which is good on one hand, but on the other hand, some places are difficult to understand and so a more extensive commentary would be helpful (though the book does contains a lot of notes.) The author's outlook can perhaps be fitting when one's trying to calm the spririt, but for an active approach to life, I found it way too pessimistic and impractical. I also wonder why with such views people would bother having children, for example. I suspect that Marcus Aurelius did not always follow his theory in real life. Epictetus, whom I recently read as well, is more to my taste -- with the same caution but to a much lesser degree. In general, I feel, it's the way of thinking that one should be aware of so as to not find oneself completely disarmed when life gets tough, but to limit oneself to this doctrine would, imo, be harmful. Like Russell said, whatever you believe, do not altogether believe it.
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Summary: Predecessor of all How-To Handbooks
Review: Marcus Aurelius is truly the pioneer in writing the first How-To book in history. His chapterized memoirs gives the reader to individually divide each insert and analyase it. For all who wish to live a better, hassle-free life, must read this book so they could implement the instructions given in it.
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Summary: teachings that can last a lifetime
Review: I first read Meditations 15 years ago and was so overwhelmed with its simplicity of style and depth of thought that I took to it like a fish to water. So often we are taught that one must be (insert organized religion here) to do good, to be good, etc. I am grateful that the Meditations taught me goodness, self-control, peace of mind and my duty to others without resorting to heavy-handed religiosity. The several copies of the Mediations I have are dog-eared and deeply loved. I would say the same for Epictetus and his teachings. Stoicism in many ways resembles Buddhism (the Theraveda school, at least) and Taosim so anyone familiar with these philosphies will find a home in the Meditations. Each part ofthe book is presented almost like the Bible - book, chapter and verse. This makes it easy to study and meditate upon it. It also makes it simple to refer to a specific passage. Of the translations I own, Mr. Staniforth's is the best, in my opinion.
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Summary: One of the Best of all Time
Review: The opening of the second book is so universal that it will ring true as long as Humanity exists. We are so fortunate that his private writings have survived. This is one of a handfull of books that should be in every library and read once a year!
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Summary: One of the all time great classics.
Review: Marcus Aurelius was a true stoic. He advocates self-reliance, duty, endurance, and also compassion for our fellow man. This wisdom is expressed tersely (in the stoic manner) and most eloquently. Anyone would benefit greatly from reading and rereading this wonderful book. I will finish with one of the many great entries found in the book. "Adversity is merely a test of our self-composure."
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