The introduction is incredibly long, like 25 pages! actually, out of 176 pages, only 100 of those pages are the actual books that Marcus Aurelius himself wrote; the rest is just notes that contextualise his writings. while it might be interesting for those who aren't already familiar with Marcus, I personally don't think that they're totally necessary.
Just in case you are not familiar with him, Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor and is one of the most prominent figures in Stoic philosophy (even though he tended to freestyle things and wrote Meditations from his own thoughts rather than just regurgitating Stoic principles).
Fun fact: he was Commodus' father, whom you will almost certainly recognise if you have had the opportunity to study Ancient Roman art and society!
Fun fact: he was Commodus' father, whom you will almost certainly recognise if you have had the opportunity to study Ancient Roman art and society!
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Meditations reads a lot like an extended Quora post...which I really like, and is also the main thing I find appealing about Jordan B. Peterson's 12 Rules for Life. Unlike 12 Rules for Life, Meditations isn't exactly a page turner. Personally, my motivation to keep on reading started to wane around the fiftieth page. However, it does pick up again around Book 8, so stick with it!
While Meditations is thought-provoking and motivational, I probably wouldn't sit down and read it again all in one go for pure enjoyment; Instead, I would buy it to keep on my bookshelf and refer back to specific passages...kind of like how I imagine religious people refer back to specific passages in their respective religious books e.g. the Quran, the Bible, the Torah, etc. A great feature of Meditations is that there is an index of themes at the end of the book!
I think that the best way to read Meditations would be to read an individual section and then, well, meditate on it, use it as a journalling prompt, discuss it with friends, etc.
I think that the best way to read Meditations would be to read an individual section and then, well, meditate on it, use it as a journalling prompt, discuss it with friends, etc.
Meditations is random and disjointed at times, yet it still manages to be a cohesive body of work...much like your own stream of consciousness, huh?
Rating: 8/10 for content, but 5/10 for how much I enjoyed reading it...so 6.5/10 overall?
Final thoughts:
Meditations didn't quite live up to my expectations...which, admittedly, were a lot higher than they usually are when I am about to begin a new book just because of how many people I know have said that this is their favourite book and how life-changing it was. However, as I mentioned earlier, I definitely found Meditations to be thought-provoking. I may buy a copy for my personal library, but probably just as something to refer back to rather than something to read for leisure.
New words I picked up from Meditations:
- catamite: a prepubescent boy kept by an adult man (a pederast) for sexual purposes in Ancient Greece
- evanescent: quickly disappearing from memory
- impertubality: basically someone who is cool, calm, collected
- solecism: a grammatical faux pas in speech and writing
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