In Marcus Aurelius we find the roots of chivalry for the warrior code. A classic work for anyone interested in history or military history in particular. Stoic philosophy for all but especially the warrior in us all.

I have picked this book up a couple of times and am floored by what I read each time. Even in today's time, 1,800 years later, much of what is said is relevant and useful. Such quotes as "Accept modestly; surrender gracefully" and "Our anger and annoyance are more detrimental to us than the things themselves which anger or annoy us" are just two of the numerous pieces of wisdom and advice found in this book.

Although at times it did turn philosophical it always returned to the central theme of the overarching world created by Nature and Gods. You are but a piece of it and must learn to live with it at peace. Again, it is amazing to find something written so long ago still apply to today's world.

I have always been amazed when I read about Marcus Aurelius as Caesar, but now I am even more amazed at Marcus Aurelius as philosopher. I would definitely recommend this book to everyone.

5 stars.

Amazon has not done a good job sorting out the various editions and translations of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. As a result, comments with many stars actually may be referring to an entirely different translation. Likewise, hardbound references don't match up with the paperback versions. I'd recommend that you find a copy somewhere and look at the text yourself before you order.

Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is really a manual for living. So much of what he teaches is very relevant for today. "If you don't have a consistent goal in life, you can't live in a consistent way."

The book is actually a lot of short to the point lessons for living a better life. "If you seek tranquillity, do less." "Which brings a double saftisfaction to do less, better." That is a philosophy that we all would do well to ponder and then employ.

Another of my favorite bits of wisdom, "Not to assume it's impossible because you find it hard. But to recognize that if it's humanly possible, you can do it too."

Marcus Aurelius spends a lot of time on death and how to approach it. Some of that is very good. However he also spends a lot of time thinking about man's right and priviledge of deciding if and when to end live voluntary.

There is an excellent though somewhat long introduction to the book. Hays also provides a list of persons referred to in the book. This is very helpful to at least know who Aurelius was talking about.

I only rate the book four stars because I found The Emperior's Handbook by David Hicks easier to read and understand. I recommend that everyone read at least one of the books by Marcus Aurelius. If you can only read one, pick The Emperor's Handbook.

this is the finest translation of marcus aurelius's meditations that i have read. previous translations i have read were loaded with so many thee's and thou's that the reading was tedious and slow. i found my self scanning the pages instead of reading until i would come across an obvious jem. this made me oblivious to the hidden jems that make up this excellent work. this book gives the emperor's words a modern flair that doesn't lose the original flavor. i highly recommend it.