Meditations

The great Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus famously wrote down and collected his thoughts and reflections, a summa of his outlook on life and how he thought it should be lived. This collection, commonly known as the Meditations (though he just called it "e;to himself"e;), survives as a central document of Stoic thought and has remained immensely popular through the ages. Marcus Aurelius is among the few Roman emperors whose reputation remains very high. A noble, decent fellow, he ruled during difficult times. The popular Meditations is seen as testament that he was not concerned with everlasting fame or personal glory -- and that he was an educated, thoughtful soul. The Meditations is a collection of short pieces, collected in twelve separate books. The pieces range from a few paragraphs in length to single lines. He begins with reflections on what lessons he has taken from relatives, teachers, and friends (e.g.: "e;From Alexander the Grammarian, not to be captious"e;). Much of the rest can, indeed, be seen as an exposition on these basic (and often very general) maxims, but Marcus Aurelius also goes considerably further.