Meditations

By (author) Aurelius Marcus
Short description/annotation:
Stirring reflections on the human condition provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman warrior and emperor of the 2nd century.
Description:
Stirring reflections on the human condition from a warrior and emperor provide a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman of the 2nd century. Recognizing that suffering is at the core of life, he counsels stoic detachment in the face of inevitable pain, loss and death.
Biographical note:
Marcus Aurelius, the Emperor of Rome from AD 161 to 180, was one of the early proponents of Stoicism, which stressed the search for inner peace and ethical certainty. Born to a well-to-do family in AD 121, Marcus Aurelius Antoninus served in a variety of governmental posts while studying philosophy; he was especially drawn to the precepts of Stoicism, particularly its emphasis on the importance of virtuous conduct, reason and logic, and the attainment of inner peace through the pursuit of goals that are within one’s power to achieve. Conflicts with German tribes, an outbreak of plague, and various challenges proved Marcus to be a competent leader. During a battle on the Danube, the Emperor drafted Meditations, originally titled “To Himself,” to record his private reflections. He died at the military camp in AD 189, at the age of fifty-nine.