One of the world's most famous and influential books, Meditations,by the Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius (A.D. 121-180), incorporates the stoic preeepts he used to eope with his life as a warrior andv administrator of an empire. Ascending to the imperial throne in A.D.161, Aurelius found his reign beset by natural disasters and war. In the wake of these ehallenges, he set down a series of private reflections, outlining a philosophy of commitment to virtue above pleasure and tranquility above happiness.

Refleeting the emperor"s own noble and self-saerifieing code of eonduet, this eloquent and moving work draws and enriches the tradi tion of Stoicism, whieh stressed the search for inner peaee and ethical certainty in an apparently chaotic world. Serenity was to be achieved by emulating in one"s personal eondnet the underlying orderliness and lawfulness of natnre. And in the face of the inevitable pain, loss, and death--the suffering at the eore of life--Aurelius eounsels stoic detachment from the things that are beyond one"s eontrol and a foeus on one"s own will and perception.

Presented here in a specially modernized version of the classic George Long translation, this updated and revised edition is easily.aeeessible to eontemporary readers. It not.only provides a fascinating glimpse into the mind and personality of a highly principled Roman of the second century but also offers today"s readers a practical and inspirational guide to the challenges of eyeD"day life.

Introduction

Book I

Book II

Book III

Book IV

Book V

Book VI

Book VII

Book VIII

Book IX

Book X

Book XI

Book XII