Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus who as a youth had been trained in Stoic and classical philosophy kept this personal log of his reflections and thoughts. It has remained read for centuries because of its plain-spoken and unpretentious style and its principles that extend far beyond the time of its writing, accessible even to the modern man without Aurelius's wide reading. These are the thoughts of a man both of uncommon greatness and uncommon meekness. For more reprinted classical and medieval works, see LindyPress.net.
A lot of food for thought. Marcus Aurelius kept repeating himself that that which does not harm the whole cannot harm the part. This is demonstrably untrue, but I understand his purpose in meditating on the end of one's life and the return of your body's matter to the "universe." Definitely will re-read this in a few years to see if I have a better handle on his purpose.
Marcus Aurelius presents us his diary, consisting of his thoughts and meditations. It's very interesting to enter a Roman emperor's mind and take a look at how a person in that age was thinking about certain issues that create disputes even in today's world. The narrative is sometimes in-cohesive, as a diary should be, which means the reader should make a real effort to connect the dots in some chapters. As for the content, the Marcus Aurelius tries to defend his position as a pure Stoic, sometimes exaggerating or adding his own thoughts. A nice introduction for all readers who are not familiar with the Stoic and neo-Stoic philosophical school of Hellenistic Athens, that's for sure. Whether you agree or disagree with Aurelius's teachings, it's quite a nice book to contemplate with.
