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Marcus Aurelius (0121–0180)

Author of Meditations

223+ Works 17,975 Members 170 Reviews 54 Favorited
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About the Author

Born in Rome, in 121, Marcus Aurelius was one of the most respected emperors in Roman history. When he was 17, Aurelius was adopted by emperor Antonius Pius and succeeded him in A.D. 161. He ruled jointly with his adoptive brother, Lucius Verus, until 169, when he became sole emperor after Verus show more died. Although Aurelius was a humanitarian ruler, he accepted the view that Christians were the enemies of Rome. Aurelius was dovoted to the Stoic philosophy. Meditations, his spiritual reflections, is considered a classic work of stoicism. Written in Greek, the work comprises of twelve books and records his innermost thoughts. Meditations is his only surviving work. Aurelius died in 180 while prosecuting war against the Marcomanni who lived along the northern limits of the Roman Empire. After his death Aurelius was idealized as the perfect emperor whose reign contrasted sharply with the disastrous period before him and the reigns that followed. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Credit: Luis García, Prado, Madrid, Spain, 2006

Series

Works by Marcus Aurelius

Meditations (0170) 14,266 copies
Meditations [abridged] (1995) 277 copies
100 Eternal Masterpieces of Literature - volume 2 (2020) — Contributor — 70 copies
Marcus Aurelius in Love (2007) 28 copies
Kendime Düsünceler (2005) 26 copies
Iseendale (2021) 7 copies
Meditations : Enchiridion (1970) 6 copies
La libertà interiore (2007) 6 copies
Självbetraktelser (2021) 5 copies
Pensées - Livres VII-XII (2007) 5 copies
Meditaciones (2020) 5 copies
Meditations. Books 1-6 (2013) 3 copies
A sí mismo (2007) 3 copies
Ad se ipsum libri XII (2012) 2 copies
In semet ipsum 2 copies
Meditations Made Simple (2018) 2 copies
LOS DOCE LIBROS 2 copies
apanta 1 / άπαντα 1 (2006) 2 copies
Til meg selv (2021) 2 copies
Pensées: Livres II à IV (2008) 2 copies
Epistole 1 copy
Poemas do Rio Azul (2012) 1 copy
À soi-même: Pensées (2022) 1 copy
Pensées à moi-même (2023) 1 copy
Samomu sebi (2001) 1 copy
Epictet 1 copy
Suy Tưởng 1 copy
Pensieri 1 copy
Ricordi 1 copy
Samom sebi 1 copy
Chen si lu (2009) 1 copy
Pensées pour soi (2018) 1 copy
Los estoicos 1 copy

Associated Works

Tagged

2nd century (61) ancient (118) ancient history (62) ancient philosophy (142) Ancient Rome (220) antiquity (89) classic (139) classical (70) classical literature (78) classics (629) currently-reading (81) ebook (80) Epictetus (58) essays (94) ethics (205) Folio Society (61) Greek (97) hardcover (67) Harvard Classics (90) history (278) Kindle (116) Latin (80) Latin literature (53) literature (164) Marcus Aurelius (249) non-fiction (771) own (57) philosophy (3,093) read (82) religion (69) Roman (229) Roman Empire (68) Roman literature (79) Rome (261) stoic (73) stoicism (587) Stoics (77) to-read (884) translation (66) unread (62)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Aurelius Antoninus, Marcus
Birthdate
0121-04-26
Date of death
0180-03-17
Burial location
Hadrian's Mausoleum
Gender
male
Nationality
Roman Empire
Country (for map)
Italy
Birthplace
Rome
Place of death
Vindobona or Sermium
Occupations
philosopher
emperor

Members

Discussions

WISDOM OF MARCUS AURELIUS & SAYINGS OF EPICTETUS in Easton Press Collectors (April 2023)
Meditations? in Ancient History (June 2016)

Reviews

The translation was less elegant than its english counterpart found on Gutenberg.org. Nevertheless the introductory notes were insightful and interesting. It was also funny to see how Aurelius' philosophy is quite similar to buddhist philosophy and psychology.
 
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jd7h | 147 other reviews | Feb 18, 2024 |
I've read "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius sometime in the Autumn of 2007 after returning to Aberystwyth, Wales from my travels. Given that since June 2007 I was in a deep psychotic state, and just returned from a trans-siberian journey to Mongolia, I wanted to order my embattled mind. Voices, second sight, psychological torment. I was barely capable of reading and making sense of what I read back in the days, after psychoses erupted. Aurelian stoicism helped me cope with this hell, the amusing part is that I got a yellow piece of paper on which I wrote "stoicism applied" and stuck it to my forehead and then paraded through the streets of Aberystwyth raising some interest and mockery throughout. Years later, in 2016 I was suddenly reminded of this reading, I saw a Thyrsus and a Caduceus in the night-sky of Częstochowa, where I visited my then-girlfriend and mistress. The kitchen of that flat was flooded with divine light, and the spirit incarnated into me, as I felt divine pride, great celestial intellect and a commanding paternal tone in a voiceless, silent language. I silently thanked for the consolation that book brought to me in 2007. Then I approached my girl who was sitting next to her laptop and said: "He visited us", she asked: "Whom?", I said "The Emperor visited us". She said: "I'm busy, don't trouble me right now" and went on watching on her youtube videos. Aurelion Therion, the Beast of Solar God was a Pater Patrum in Saturnine rank, a Drakon, and a Pontifex, Julian the Theurgist was a soldier and a magician in his army on Marcomannian campaigns. "Memento Mori" - a phrase coined by him, I might add - "Invictii Genii".… (more)
 
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Saturnin.Ksawery | 147 other reviews | Jan 12, 2024 |
Didn't finish the whole thing for various reason but got the idea from the first few books. Mostly just repeating basic ideas about right living that are never specified, how people shouldn't complain about their lives because it's right that they're where they are. It was philosophy of acceptance but without any details that made it interesting and with nothing to say to someone who's in a crappy place. Just dull, repetitive and doesn't say anything interesting.
 
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tombomp | 147 other reviews | Oct 31, 2023 |
A man once told me that philosophy is where good thinking and good writing goes to die. And for about 95% of all philosophy books I have read, he is correct. This however falls into that 5% that actually has something to contribute. Recommended.
 
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everettroberts | 147 other reviews | Oct 20, 2023 |

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Statistics

Works
223
Also by
9
Members
17,975
Popularity
#1,224
Rating
4.1
Reviews
170
ISBNs
722
Languages
29
Favorited
54

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