Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius

First, my review may be a little different because I read it from a different perspective so hopefully it sheds a little light on not just the man, but his method. Marcus Aurelius was quoted in a book about Professionalism that I have been reading and it peaked my interest as to why someone would use one quote, as one would from the Bible, if it could be out of context? My thinking was, "read the whole book". So, I did and I was very surprised to find a man who though he was a learned Stoic student, exemplified the very basic principles of what "Christians" are taught to be and also of professionalism; i.e. trust, forgiveness, straight forwardness, patience, kindness. It started to sound a lot like the seven fruits of the Spirit were imbodied in this man who was a professed pagan. I was moved by how godly, little "g", he was compared to men who profess to be Godly, big "G". If you are a professional or desire to become one, Marcus Aurelius was a Caesar and by all means embodied his title with the utmost professionalism. P.S. he repeats himself a lot, so just be prepared to realize "we will all die" and "all matter will be forgotten". Cheers!

Downloaded (Free) on my Kindle Fire, and was worth every penny (yes, that's a joke...).Seriously, however, if you are a fan of classic philosophy, history, political science, or life in general, do not make the mistake of overlooking this collection of thoughts by Marcus Aurelius (yes, kiddies, the guy from Gladiator).One of the great philosopher-kings, his wisdom still applies today, and should be included as required reading for any educational system.I will warn, however, that the material can be pretty dry. Not many will be able to sit down and read this one straight through. I've found that any of the classic thinkers should be taken a bit at a time, and disbursed amongst other reading.Thank goodness for the highlighter built into the reader...I think I used it more in this book than any other!Definitely recommended.

Famous bok,meanwhile it was a tedious read.

I am not a Stoic scholar by any means, and so must review this work from my layman's point of view.First, this book is a tough read (compared to modern books) because it's written in the ancient English of its day, with lots and lots of thous, xxest verbs (doest, thinkest, etc), and abstract words such as Nature, Virtue, (and others) that had different meanings in Roman times than we assign to them today. So I found that I had to force myself through the book.Even the translator's comments say that much of Aurelius' text and thoughts was disorganized, obscure (no easy meaning could be found in his words), and corrupt (undecipherable) in places. So it's definitely not an easy read.The last section of the book contains a summary of Aurelius' views and thoughts, written mostly in modern day language. I recommend that you read it first to get an overview of the main book content.The main value of the work seems to be in the Stoic principles and personal thoughts that are made visible by the personal writings of an Emperor of Rome. Reading this work disabuses you of the notion that emperors had an easy life just because they were emperors.As for a more interesting and accessible explanation of Stoic principles, I recommend  A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy , which is a professionally written, much easier, and more thought-provoking read than either Aurelius or Epictetus. I strongly recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn more about the Stoic school of thought.

It is a book about a man's lessons through life and what he learned. A good way to remember the wise teachings is to rephrase in your mind the teaching in a simple, easy to understand way. Through his religion of Stoicism, he presents both difficult concepts and common sense concepts. 95% of what he has written, and in this version of the book, has been written perspicuously. I loved the book. I learned from the book. And I matured from this book.

Marcus Aurelius shoes that that are things are the same under the sun, be it in this modern era or his, an ancient era. Showing that a common dialog has been running through the discourse every person, in every era, conclusions that an average, a poor person, a rich man, or a man of authority, share a string of common philosophy. Definitely worth the investment of time, to give this volume a try.

I bought both electric and paper of this for it is so insiteful. Read first four books quick and feel it like Socrates can be great life lessons. New info on a great old subject. Ideas from a king and can be put into present day to focus self. A must get for life searchers. Read some SPencer Johnson as well or Atilla.

The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius, perhaps misconstrued by many as simple "stoicism." are more relevant and needed today than they have ever been throughout the centuries. In this age of exaggeration and excess, of eternal distraction from what is most important - love, appreciation, loyalty, common sense - his wisdom needs to be repeated daily and should be taught to our children in elementary school. Every citizen should be required to crack open its pages at random each morning, and be guided throughout the day by what is learned.

Boa opção pra quem domina o ódio.a estrangeiro

This is a great book! Highly recommended for everyone.

If weblogs existed in the Roman Empire, this book would be one. The title of it is literal: this is a book listing the thoughts of Marcus Aurelius. They give us an insight into how a man with colossal power thinks and is humble in the simplicity of the thoughts and the apparent desire to be just.

This is one of the key works and well worth a read.

This collection of journal entries of the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius not only gives us a glimpse into the inner workings of his thoughts and his philosophy, but also serves as a guideline for the rest of us on how to live life. This is a book I keep coming back to, its pages are so dense with thought-provoking statements that my copy is filled with highlights and notes. Highly recommended