Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.1 AVERAGE
4.1 AVERAGE
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
fast-paced
informative
reflective
medium-paced
quite an interesting read! i will preface this review by saying that i didn’t read all of the notes and appendixes so there may have been some content that i missed.
i think what makes this book more interesting is that it was never intended to be books read by the public, it was journals written by Marcus for his own benefit.
I found that because it was so private, that it came across a lot more genuine than some other books in comparison (i.e. Letters from a Stoic) as it didn’t feel like pretending and more felt like Marcus was trying to manifest this enlightened form of himself.
The writing is very poetic, which I presume is a result of the time of writing
i think what makes this book more interesting is that it was never intended to be books read by the public, it was journals written by Marcus for his own benefit.
I found that because it was so private, that it came across a lot more genuine than some other books in comparison (i.e. Letters from a Stoic) as it didn’t feel like pretending and more felt like Marcus was trying to manifest this enlightened form of himself.
The writing is very poetic, which I presume is a result of the time of writing
"You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think." (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
"Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option: to accept this event with humility [will]; to treat this person as he should be treated [action]; to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in [perception]." (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
"Everywhere, at each moment, you have the option: to accept this event with humility [will]; to treat this person as he should be treated [action]; to approach this thought with care, so that nothing irrational creeps in [perception]." (Marcus Aurelius, Meditations)
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
I am judging this on a par with books written this millennium, and I know I shouldn't. I may have zoned in and out a few times, but every time my brain remembered what it was doing, he was talking about figs. Some interest points, made many times over...
Interesting read, has some good points but you’d be foolish to adopt it as your sole philosophical venture. Sure, on paper the lessons sound good but then you realise that stoicism forgets to factor in the human nature side of things and then it all falls apart.
Considering this was written just under 2000 years ago, it’s quite astonishing how applicable Marcus Aurelius’ wisdom is to the modern day. Consider this quote:
I learned from Alexander the Platonist not often, nor without great necessity, to say or write to any man in a letter if I am not at leisure. And nor under the pretext of urgent affairs, to make a practice of excusing myself from the duties we owe to those we live with.
He’s quite explicitly telling you not to check your work emails after hours.
I learned from Alexander the Platonist not often, nor without great necessity, to say or write to any man in a letter if I am not at leisure. And nor under the pretext of urgent affairs, to make a practice of excusing myself from the duties we owe to those we live with.
He’s quite explicitly telling you not to check your work emails after hours.
If you read this from a philosophical standpoint, it's pretty shit. I chose to read this because of the history, being the raw thoughts of the Roman emperor, Marcus Aurelias, after all. It was interesting at times, but the dude was mostly just having existential crises which got boring fairly quickly.
reflective
slow-paced