Meditations
by Marcus Aurelius · Published 180
Less a work of philosophy in the traditional sense than a set of mental exercises for self-discipline, controlling your reactions, and accepting reality. Some of the ideas are very simple — living by them is not.
What works
- Practical philosophy.
- Excellent for self-discipline and emotional regulation.
- Short passages make it easy to revisit.
- Surprisingly relevant despite being almost 2,000 years old.
What doesn't
- Repetitive.
- Some Stoic ideas can be oversimplified into modern self-help.
- Less useful if you're looking for systematic philosophical arguments.
You cannot control everything that happens, but you can control how you judge and respond to what happens.
Less a work of philosophy in the traditional sense than a set of mental exercises for self-discipline, controlling your reactions, and accepting reality. Some of the ideas are very simple — living by them is not.
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