spacestationtrustfund's review against another edition
2.0
Translation by Jacob Needleman and John P. Piazza.
sydneyshoulders's review against another edition
5.0
This book was not eye opening the way I expected it to be. It was rather plain, and told me things that I feel like I’ve already known to do or not do. I should focus on myself and not be concerned with the affairs of others, bear the burdens that the universe has placed upon me, and strive to be the best person I can. That’s all this book really said truthfully. The beauty in it was how Aurelius expressed himself and how he reached these conclusions as to how to conduct himself in life. He views human nature not as a set of behaviors but as a realm of potential. Any and all problems we have are capable of being solved, otherwise we never could have had them in the first place. The only problems we can’t solve are the ones we don’t see or are aware of. But, to Aurelius, the awareness is the gift that differentiates us from other things. And to act upon that awareness by being a good person regardless of external perception is how we can all be “good” if such a thing even exists.
I really think it’s the ultimate self help book. It’s so simple and obvious but, for some reason, feels so profound. I think it’s because a lot of us are so washed up in the sea of public opinion that there is no idle time to focus on “the soul” in the way that Aurelius argues for. Or those attempts are feeble and performative at best.
I’m not completely sold on stoicism as a whole because I see the potential for it to be misread and purported as hustle culture motivational fodder. But, I see the value in these words and I look forward to leaning on this in my more difficult times.
I really think it’s the ultimate self help book. It’s so simple and obvious but, for some reason, feels so profound. I think it’s because a lot of us are so washed up in the sea of public opinion that there is no idle time to focus on “the soul” in the way that Aurelius argues for. Or those attempts are feeble and performative at best.
I’m not completely sold on stoicism as a whole because I see the potential for it to be misread and purported as hustle culture motivational fodder. But, I see the value in these words and I look forward to leaning on this in my more difficult times.
sackofbeans's review against another edition
4.0
I've recently been semi-randomly stumbling upon the philosophy of Stoicism, and so decided to check out Marcus Aurelius' Meditations as this collection is more frequently known.
The only reason why I went for this particular translation/edition is because it was the only one available in ebook format from my county's library system on the Overdrive app, and I wanted to try something out on my new Kindle Paperwhite. Sounds like there are plenty of translations to pick from, with this particular version being more modern and edited for clarity than others. So perhaps it is not as "pure" and academic, but for someone curious about Stoicism and only wanting to stick their toe in it was perfect.
The amazing thing about this collection of the emperor's thoughts are that it shows people thousands of years ago struggled with events mentally the same way we do today.
There was one particular passage I found amusing in that the author states some thing along the lines of how on some days it's harder to get out of bed than others, that it would be so nice to stay under the covers all day than to get up and do anything. Yet, he continues, it is our responsibility as human beings to get out of bed to go make the world a better place for other humans. So fortunate we are to be blessed with existence and the ability to go run errands, how silly to waste it being unproductive when some day we shall be dead.
What I find fascinating is that his way of thinking reminds me of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, where people think about and react to their own thoughts in order to live less negative, and more positive fulfilling lives.
"Man, this sucks, I feel awful."
"Are you sure it sucks, self? You are pretty gosh darn lucky, considering the circumstances. You try pretty hard to be a decent human being, too, so you have that going for you."
"Oh yeah, thanks me! "
An awesome self-help book for a collection of thoughts that were never meant to be read by anyone other than Marcus himself.
The only reason why I went for this particular translation/edition is because it was the only one available in ebook format from my county's library system on the Overdrive app, and I wanted to try something out on my new Kindle Paperwhite. Sounds like there are plenty of translations to pick from, with this particular version being more modern and edited for clarity than others. So perhaps it is not as "pure" and academic, but for someone curious about Stoicism and only wanting to stick their toe in it was perfect.
The amazing thing about this collection of the emperor's thoughts are that it shows people thousands of years ago struggled with events mentally the same way we do today.
There was one particular passage I found amusing in that the author states some thing along the lines of how on some days it's harder to get out of bed than others, that it would be so nice to stay under the covers all day than to get up and do anything. Yet, he continues, it is our responsibility as human beings to get out of bed to go make the world a better place for other humans. So fortunate we are to be blessed with existence and the ability to go run errands, how silly to waste it being unproductive when some day we shall be dead.
What I find fascinating is that his way of thinking reminds me of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, where people think about and react to their own thoughts in order to live less negative, and more positive fulfilling lives.
"Man, this sucks, I feel awful."
"Are you sure it sucks, self? You are pretty gosh darn lucky, considering the circumstances. You try pretty hard to be a decent human being, too, so you have that going for you."
"Oh yeah, thanks me! "
An awesome self-help book for a collection of thoughts that were never meant to be read by anyone other than Marcus himself.
mandeeseeley's review against another edition
5.0
I wish I knew about this guy earlier in life. He was a brilliant man, and the current world could learn a lot from him. This should be required reading for every human.
st_leo's review
It was... Good? I don't know how to rate this as it is essentially just one man's philosophy journal. I respect it but I'm not sure if I could put a grade on it.
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