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. 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." Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago.

Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library) by Marcus Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library) by Marcus

Frightened of change? But what can exist without it? What’s closer to nature’s heart? Can you take a hot bath and leave the firewood as it was? Eat food without transforming it? Can any vital process take place without something being changed? When people injure you, ask yourself what good or harm they thought would come of it. If you understand that, you’ll feel sympathy rather than outrage or anger. Your sense of good and evil may be the same as theirs, or near it, in which case you have to excuse them. Or your sense of good and evil may differ from theirs. In which case they’re misguided and deserve your compassion. Is that so hard? Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

He read slowly, moving his lips over the words. “Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered. In Gregory Hays’s new translation—the first in thirty-five years—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. The idea of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations is as inspiring as the contents. This was at its core a personal self-help book that Marcus used. It wasn't a journal or a diary because it rarely recounted events. It was more of a custom self-help book, a place where Marcus would give advice to himself and articulate his arguments and worldview. 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. For all of the pessimism at times in the work, I find that Meditations is very quotable and that is where Meditations shines. I can take a thought, an entry, and I can revisit it later on down the road. That is where the true value of Meditations comes into play for me. Best Quotes from Meditations:

Meditations : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Meditations : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet

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. Ryan Holiday has convinced me that this is one of those books from which we can all learn. And now I wholeheartedly agree. And am grateful to him. Ten key learnings (that i love - of many) i found on www: As you kiss your son good night, says Epictetus, whisper to yourself, 'He may be dead in the morning.' These writings after all, were never meant to be published. So Marcus bounces around from topic to topic at random. Many of the writings are repetitive in theme and context. Be true to yourself. Don't try to be someone you're not. Be true to yourself and live your life the way you want to live it.

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As one scholar has observed, “Reading Meditations for long periods can be conducive of melancholy.” And even those who love the book cannot deny that there is something impoverished about the view of human life it presents” Gregory Hays on Meditations The need to restrain anger and irritation with other people, to put up with their incompetence, or malice, to show them the error of their ways” When you need encouragement, think of the qualities the people around you have: this one’s energy, that one’s modesty, another’s generosity, and so on . Nothing is as encouraging as when virtues are visibly embodied in the people around us, when we’re practically showered with them. It’s good to keep this in mind. Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds Meditations by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library) Kindle Edition Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library) Kindle Edition

Marcus 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." Be kind to others. Treat others the way you want to be treated. Be kind and compassionate, even to those who are different from you. Accept what you cannot control. There are many things in life that we cannot control. Don't waste your time and energy trying to control things that are out of your control. Instead, focus on the things that you can control. Lee lifted the breadbox and took out a tiny volume bound in leather, and the gold tooling was almost completely worn away—The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius in English translation. 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 AureliusI am a huge fan of A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy by William B. Irvine. It not only made me realize that I have already been living the Stoic philosophy in many ways, but encouraged me to dig further into Stoic readings and go straight to the source. 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. Be grateful for what you have. There is always someone who has less than you do. Be grateful for the things that you have, no matter how small they may seem. Live a simple life. Don't be materialistic. Focus on the things that are truly important in life, such as your relationships, your health, and your happiness.