Meditations

Marcus Aurelius wrote these short reflections in Greek, mostly for himself, while he ruled an empire and led armies on the Danube frontier. Again and again he reminds himself to accept what he cannot change, to be patient with difficult people and to act justly without waiting for praise. This is George Long's classic English translation of 1862. Read it a few paragraphs at a time; many readers keep it close for difficult days.

Original work: Written in Greek, about AD 170–180