I got 'meditations' by Marcus Aurelis as a Father's day gift(2020). I actually chose the book. The family happily gifted it. The book has been on my reading list for a while, especially after I read the 'The daily stoic'. The Daily Stoic by Ryan holiday does an excellent job of articulating principles of stoicism, but I have always wanted to read the sourcebook. This is it.
Below are some of my notes or learnings which i took while reading the book. I took the help of my daughter to type up some notes, so I can share the lessons from the book 'Meditations' with others and hopefully help spread the word of Stoicism and writings of Marcus Aurelius to others.
Marcus Aurelius Wrote this diary "To Himself" as the original title, during the intervals of the battle.
Before I jump into sharing my learnings and specific quotes from The legend here are some observations on the book itself:
- It's a short book but may not be a short read.
- English writing can be very cryptic at times
- Some pages are loaded with wisdom and points. So, take the time to read and absorb.
- Reflection is part of reading this book. I found myself reflecting on some thoughts post reading through it.
- It goes to show that even in 100 AD and before, men have always faced the biggest challenges in front of them. Most of them begin within the heads. hence, "tame your own mind" continues to be the age-old wisdom.
Now, let me share some of the quotes from his book, which I thought are extremely valuable. Some of these, you have to read a couple of times to let them sink in. It is amazing still that thousands of years ago, someone was thinking and answering what we constantly battle with, even today.