Marcus Aurelius 
Meditations (Barnes & Noble Library of Essential Reading) 

Meditations is Marcus Aurelius private book of reflections, written over a series of years in far-flung places as he led the Romans in military campaigns, quashed revolts, and dealt with the other tribulations of governing the Empire. It is best described as a spiritual journal, containing a record of Marcus philosophical exercises. The book is interesting as an example of Stoic thought and is valuable for historical reasons as a document of the inner life of a remarkable Roman emperor. It remains compelling, however, because it bears witness to a profound journey of the human spirit and speaks to us across the millennia about perennial human problems.

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Marcus Aurelius – who contemporary readers might recognize from
Gladiator, the 2000 Hollywood film starring Richard Harris as Marcus – became Emperor in 161 C.E. at the age of forty. While his philosophical training encouraged toleration and even compassion, his duties as Emperor often required a harsher approach. Marcus thus embodies the tragic paradox of the philosopher-king who must enforce the law and administer justice, while looking beyond politics to the cosmic vantage point from which the tribulations of politics come to seem trivial.