“No, you do not have thousands of years to live. Urgency is on you. While you live, while you can, become good.” -Book 4.17﻿

Packaged in handsome, affordable trade editions, Clydesdale Classics is a new series of essential works. From the musings of intellectuals such as Thomas Paine in Common Sense to the striking personal narrative of Harriet Jacobs in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, this new series is a comprehensive collection of our intellectual history through the words of the exceptional few. Meditations is a collection of twelve books written by Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. The books were originally compiled in the form of private journals. Marcus Aurelius used these notes as personal guides to live by and to better himself as a ruler. He compiled these journals during his time as emperor, and while they were not intended for public consumption, there are valuable lessons to be gleaned from his wisdom. The entries include his views of stoicism--the Hellenistic philosophy devoid of "destructive emotions" that could tamper with logic--and its practical use in ruling and military tactics. Completely unabridged, with a new foreword written by Huffington Post writer Carolyn Gregoire, this publication of Meditations is an all-encompassing collection of Marcus Aurelius's works.

history

History

personaldevelopment

Personal Development

motivationandinspiration

Motivation & Inspiration

Meditations (Medieval Greek: Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν, romanized: Ta eis he'auton, lit. 'things to one's self') is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written while he was positioned at Aquincum on campaign in Pannonia, because internal notes tell us that the first book was written when he was campaigning against the Quadi on the river Granova (modern-day Hron) and the second book was written at Carnuntum.

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD and a Stoic philosopher. He was the last of the rulers known, noncontemporaneously, as the Five Good Emperors and the last emperor of the Pax Romana, an age of relative peace, calmness and stability for the Roman Empire lasting from 27 BC to 180 AD.

MARCUS AURELIUS

Meditations

Other curated ideas on this topic:

Slow Down

A periodic sabbatical

The smartest people use a simple model and these 6 phrases to say 'no' when they need to