The essential Marcus Aurelius

by Marco Aurelio

110 pages

English language

Published April 28, 2008 by Jeremy P. Tarcher/Penguin.

ISBN:: 978-1-58542-617-1

(108 reviews)

was born on April 26, A.D. 121. His real name was M. Annius Verus, and he was sprung of a noble family which claimed descent from Numa, second King of Rome. Thus the most religious of emperors came of the blood of the most pious of early kings. His father, Annius Verus, had held high office in Rome, and his grandfather, of the same name, had been thrice Consul. Both his parents died young, but Marcus held them in loving remembrance.

49 editions

horiaconstantin reviewed Meditations by Marco Aurelio

Review of 'Meditations (Penguin Classics)' on 'Goodreads'

1 star

I was eager to read this acclaimed and highly rated book. And then I wasn't eager anymore, but rather bored, even annoyed.

I don't like the writing style: it has archaic words and uses convoluted syntax. A result of translating an old text without adapting it to modern standards (probably to ensure that nothing gets lost in the translation?).
The style forces me to constantly switch gears between understanding the sentence and understanding the idea that Marcus Aurelius is conveying.

After a bit of reading like this, I got incredibly annoyed. I read books because I like to absorb knowledge, not because I like to solve riddles. I'd still like to read the book, but the translations that I found online (free) have this same issue. Until I find something better, 1 star is enough.

Moorlock reviewed The meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by Marco Aurelio

Review of 'The meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus' on 'Goodreads'

2 stars

I was having a hard time getting through this and wondered why, and finally decided it was because it is boring. The book collects the tweet-like notes of [a:Marcus Aurelius|17212|Marcus Aurelius|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1225676437p2/17212.jpg], mostly self-chastisements or self-encouragements accompanied by reminders about the insignificance of human life and fame and the importance of meeting what fate throws at you with calm, steady resolve.

That's all well and good, but it gets repetitive, and often requires you to accept a pretty dogmatic stoicism and some dubious accompanying metaphysical assumptions in order for it to speak to you and your own situation.

The best thing about it is the attitude demonstrated by [a:Marcus Aurelius|17212|Marcus Aurelius|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1225676437p2/17212.jpg] -- constantly examining himself and trying to remove all the obstacles he's tempted to put in his own path on his way to becoming a more noble person. While his specific advice might not be particularly inspiring, this attitude of …