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Book Summary:
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius
by Dean Bokhari | Co-Founder, Gents Journey
About
After watching Gladiator II recently, I felt a natural pull to revisit my old copy of Meditations - a series of writings on Stoic philosophy by the former Emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius.
Fun fact for ya: Aurelius actually never even intended on publishing any of the writings from Meditations—because he was actually writing them as notes to himself.
In other words: reading Meditations is like reading a very powerful man’s personal journal.
The book was first printed in 1559, nearly 14 centuries after Aurelius died. He started writing these notes to himself around 170 CE, and continued writing until around the time of his death, which was on March 17, 180 CE. Which means the original hand-written manuscript survived for 1,400 years before finally being printed and published for everyone to read.
But what boggles my mind most about Meditations is this: the ideas inside the book are about 1,900 years old, yet they’re just as applicable in the modern world we live in today as they were way back then.
Inside, Marcus Aurelius riffs on a wide range of ideas about life, leadership, and personal growth. He shares his thoughts on spirituality, finding focus, life fulfillment, integrity, love, leading a purpose-driven life, and tons of other knowledge bombs pulled from the Stoic way of life.
Let’s get into it.
SUMMARY IN A SENTENCE
Don’t get caught up in trivial matters, let go of pettiness, hold yourself accountable, and appreciate your life within a larger context.
CRUCIAL QUOTES
“You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
BIG IDEAS
Choose Not to Be Harmed
Abide by The Law of The Universe
Everything Has a Purpose
Seek Synergy
Focus
Don’t Lose Perspective
See The World as it Really is
Closing Notes
Top Quotes From ‘Meditations’ By Marcus Aurelius
1. Choose not to be harmed
“Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was emperor of Rome from 161AD until his death 19 years later. By the time he came to power, Rome was under threat: constantly at war, plagued with disease, and to make matters worse, they had to deal with earthquakes, too.
As leader of Rome, Aurelius remained calm and conscientious throughout each of these challenges—helping his people persevere.
Try to imagine the leader of any of today’s developed countries being so calm and philosophical in the midst of such crises. For these reasons, Marcus Aurelius was adored by the Romans even after his death—leaving a lasting legacy that framed him as the perfect emperor.
He wasn’t perfect of course, but who is?
Near the end of his reign, Aurelius was hailed as a genuine philosopher-king who provided the last real nobility of rule—until his corrupt son Commodus took over the throne and F’d it all up.
As a student of Stoic philosophy, Marcus Aurelius also refused to be made miserable by the difficulties of life:
“Begin each day by telling yourself: Today I shall be meeting with interference, ingratitude, insolence, disloyalty, ill-will, and selfishness – all of them due to the offenders’ ignorance of what is good or evil. But for my part I have long perceived the nature of good and its nobility, the nature of evil and its meanness, and also the nature of the culprit himself, who is my brother (not in the physical sense, but as a fellow creature similarly endowed with reason and a share of the divine); therefore none of those things can injure me, for nobody can implicate me in what is degrading. Neither can I be angry with my brother or fall foul of him; for he and I were born to work together, like a man’s two hands, feet or eyelids, or the upper and lower rows of his teeth. To obstruct each other is against Nature’s law – and what is irritation or aversion but a form of obstruction.”
2. Abide by the law of the universe
Stoicism is a Greek school of thought that originates from around about 300 BCE.
The essence of the Stoic philosophy is that we should submit to the law of the universe in order to live well.