Meditations

One cannot think or speak about Stoicism and not discuss Marcus Aurelius. His private notes, which he never intended to be published, became one of the primary sources of understanding of ancient Stoic philosophy. For countless generations, Meditations has received high praise from critics, writers, philosophers, politicians, and many more.

History tells us Marcus wrote Meditations as a series of 12 books in Koine Greek (the common supraregional form of Greek spoken and written during the Hellenistic periold and the Roman Empire) for his own guidance and self-improvement. Marcus's writing style is simple, straightforward, and highly-relatable.

Thematically, Marcus chooses to focus on self-improvement, specifically on judgement of oneself and of others. Central to Stoicism, he believes that one's goals and place in the universe should align with nature (from birth until death). This is the balance of the universe. His primary focus is on developing a cosmic point of view:

"You have the power to strip away many superfluous troubles located wholly in your judgment, and to possess a large room for yourself embracing in thought the whole cosmos, to consider everlasting time, to think of the rapid change in the parts of each thing, of how short it is from birth until dissolution, and how the void before birth and that after dissolution are equally infinite."

Marcus's ideals of critical thinking, self-reflection, careful judgment, and avoidance of indulgence in sensory affections allow for ultimate clarity. As Meditations suggests, life is most beautiful when lived in accordance with nature and the universe.