{"product_id":"meditations-isbn-9780679412717","title":"Meditations","description":"\u003cb\u003eA beautiful, deluxe hardcover edition of Marcus Aurelius's timeless classic \u003ci\u003eMeditations\u003c\/i\u003e, a book that has inspired and influenced people for nearly two millennia.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe \u003ci\u003eMeditations \u003c\/i\u003eof Marcus Aurelius\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eare not only one of the most important expressions of stoic philosophy but also an enduringly inspiring guide to living a good and just life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (A.D. 121–180) embodied in his person that deeply cherished, ideal figure of antiquity, the philosopher-king. Written in moments snatched from military campaigns and the rigors of politics, these ethical and spiritual reflections reveal a mind of exceptional clarity and originality, and a spirit attuned to both the particulars of human destiny and the vast patterns that underlie it.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA.S.L. Farquharson (1871–1942) spent a lifetime on his edition of the \u003ci\u003eMeditations\u003c\/i\u003e, which is one of the outstanding twentieth-century achievements of classical scholarship. All the notes to the Farquharson translation, amplifying the twelve books of the \u003ci\u003eMeditations\u003c\/i\u003e, are included in this volume.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEveryman's Library pursues the highest production standards, printing on acid-free cream-colored paper, with full-cloth cases with two-color foil stamping, decorative endpapers, silk ribbon markers, European-style half-round spines, and a full-color illustrated jacket. Everyman’s Library Classics include an introduction, a select bibliography, and a chronology of the author's life and times.“I kind of thrive on stress, so I’m almost embarrassed by how comforting I find this book.”—Anna Kendrick, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “Almost daily, I read a page or two of wisdom. It is unbelievable to see how the emperor’s words have stood the test of time.”—Arnold Schwarzenegger, \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e “[The Meditations] are [Aurelius’s] admonishments with himself to be wiser, kinder, more focused, less irritable; not intended for anyone to see, let alone be published. Oh, to have a leader who was trying this damn hard.”—Will Hersey, \u003ci\u003eEsquire\u003c\/i\u003eMARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS was born to an upper-class Roman family in A.D. 121 and was later adopted by the future emperor Antoninus Pius, whom he succeeded in 161. His reign was marked by a successful campaign against Parthia, but was overshadowed in later years by plague, an abortive revolt in the eastern provinces, and the deaths of friends and family, including his co-emperor Lucius Verus. A student of philosophy from his earliest youth, he was especially influenced by the first-century Stoic thinker Epictetus. His later reputation rests on his Meditations, written during his later years and never meant for formal publication. He died in 180, while campaigning against the barbarian tribes on Rome’s northern frontier.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA. S. L. FARQUHARSON (1871–1942) spent a lifetime on his edition of the \u003ci\u003eMeditations\u003c\/i\u003e, which is one of the outstanding twentieth-century achievements of classical scholarship. All the notes to the Farquharson translation, amplifying the twelve books of the \u003ci\u003eMeditations\u003c\/i\u003e, are included in this volume.\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eBook 1\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDebts and Lessons\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e1. My grandfather Verus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCharacter and self-control.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e2. My father (from my own memories and his reputation)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIntegrity and manliness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e3. My mother\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHer reverence for the divine, her generosity, her inability not only  to do wrong but even to conceive of doing it. And the simple way she lived-not in  the least like the rich.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e4. My great-grandfather\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo avoid the public schools, to  hire good private teachers, and to accept the resulting costs as money well-spent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e5. My first teacher\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to support this side or that in chariot-racing, this fighter  or that in the games. To put up with discomfort and not make demands. To do my own  work, mind my own business, and have no time for slanderers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e6. Diognetus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to  waste time on nonsense. Not to be taken in by conjurors and hoodoo artists with their  talk about incantations and exorcism and all the rest of it. Not to be obsessed with  quail-fighting or other crazes like that. To hear unwelcome truths. To practice philosophy,  and to study with Baccheius, and then with Tandasis and Marcianus. To write dialogues  as a student. To choose the Greek lifestyle-the camp-bed and the cloak.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e7. Rusticus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe recognition that I needed to train and discipline my character.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to be sidetracked  by my interest in rhetoric. Not to write treatises on abstract questions, or deliver  moralizing little sermons, or compose imaginary descriptions of The Simple Life or  The Man Who Lives Only for Others. To steer clear of oratory, poetry and belles lettres.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to dress up just to stroll around the house, or things like that. To write straightforward  letters (like the one he sent my mother from Sinuessa). And to behave in a conciliatory  way when people who have angered or annoyed us want to make up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo read attentively-not  to be satisfied with \"just getting the gist of it.\" And not to fall for every smooth  talker.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd for introducing me to Epictetus's lectures-and loaning me his own copy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8. Apollonius\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIndependence and unvarying reliability, and to pay attention to nothing,  no matter how fleetingly, except the logos. And to be the same in all circumstances-intense  pain, the loss of a child, chronic illness. And to see clearly, from his example,  that a man can show both strength and flexibility.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis patience in teaching. And  to have seen someone who clearly viewed his expertise and ability as a teacher as  the humblest of virtues.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd to have learned how to accept favors from friends without  losing your self-respect or appearing ungrateful.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e9. Sextus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKindness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAn example  of fatherly authority in the home. What it means to live as nature requires.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGravity  without airs.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo show intuitive sympathy for friends, tolerance to amateurs and  sloppy thinkers. His ability to get along with everyone: sharing his company was  the highest of compliments, and the opportunity an honor for those around him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo  investigate and analyze, with understanding and logic, the principles we ought to  live by.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to display anger or other emotions. To be free of passion and yet full  of love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo praise without bombast; to display expertise without pretension.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e10.  The literary critic Alexander\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to be constantly correcting people, and in particular  not to jump on them whenever they make an error of usage or a grammatical mistake  or mispronounce something, but just answer their question or add another example,  or debate the issue itself (not their phrasing), or make some other contribution  to the discussion-and casually insert the correct expression.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e11. Fronto\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo recognize  the malice, cunning and hypocrisy that power produces, and the peculiar ruthlessness  often shown by people from \"good families.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e12. Alexander the Platonist\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to  be constantly telling people (or writing them) that I'm too busy, unless I really  am. Similarly, not to be always ducking my responsibilities to the people around  me because of \"pressing business.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e13. Catulus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot to shrug off a friend's resentment-even  unjustified resentment-but try to put things right.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo show your teachers ungrudging  respect (the Domitius and Athenodotus story), and your children unfeigned love.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e14. [My brother] Severus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTo love my family, truth and justice. It was through him  that I encountered Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dion and Brutus, and conceived of a  society of equal laws, governed by equality of status and of speech, and of rulers  who respect the liberty of their subjects above all else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd from him as well,  to be steady and consistent in valuing philosophy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd to help others and be eager  to share, not to be a pessimist, and never to doubt your friends' affection for you.  And that when people incurred his disapproval, they always knew it. And that his  friends never had to speculate about his attitude to anything: it was always clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e15. Maximus\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelf-control and resistance to distractions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOptimism in adversity-especially  illness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA personality in balance: dignity and grace together.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eDoing your job without  whining.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eOther people's certainty that what he said was what he thought, and what  he did was done without malice.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNever taken aback or apprehensive. Neither rash  nor hesitant-or bewildered, or at a loss. Not obsequious-but not aggressive or paranoid  either.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eGenerosity, charity, honesty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe sense he gave of staying on the path  rather than being kept on it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat no one could ever have felt patronized by him-or  in a position to patronize him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sense of humor.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e16. My adopted father\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCompassion.  Unwavering adherence to decisions, once he'd reached them. Indifference to superficial  honors. Hard work. Persistence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eListening to anyone who could contribute to the  public good.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis dogged determination to treat people as they deserved.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA sense  of when to push and when to back off.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePutting a stop to the pursuit of boys.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis  altruism. Not expecting his friends to keep him entertained at dinner or to travel  with him (unless they wanted to). And anyone who had to stay behind to take care  of something always found him the same when he returned.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis searching questions  at meetings. A kind of single-mindedness, almost, never content with first impressions,  or breaking off the discussion prematurely.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis constancy to friends-never getting  fed up with them, or playing favorites.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSelf-reliance, always. And cheerfulness.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAnd his advance planning (well in advance) and his discreet attention to even minor  things.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis restrictions on acclamations-and all attempts to flatter him.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis constant  devotion to the empire's needs. His stewardship of the treasury. His willingness  to take responsibility-and blame-for both.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis attitude to the gods: no superstitiousness.  And his attitude to men: no demagoguery, no currying favor, no pandering. Always  sober, always steady, and never vulgar or a prey to fads.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe way he handled the  material comforts that fortune had supplied him in such abundance-without arrogance  and without apology. If they were there, he took advantage of them. If not, he didn't  miss them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo one ever called him glib, or shameless, or pedantic. They saw him  for what he was: a man tested by life, accomplished, unswayed by flattery, qualified  to govern both himself and them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis respect for people who practiced philosophy-at  least, those who were sincere about it. But without denigrating the others-or listening  to them.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis ability to feel at ease with people-and put them at their ease, without  being pushy.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHis willingness to take adequate care of himself. Not a hypochondriac  or obsessed with his appearance, but not ignoring things either. With the result  that he hardly ever needed medical attention, or drugs or any sort of salve or ointment.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis, in particular: his willingness to yield the floor to experts-in oratory, law,  psychology, whatever-and to support them energetically, so that each of them could  fulfil his potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat he respected tradition without needing to constantly  congratulate himself for Safeguarding Our Traditional Values.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNot prone to go off  on tangents, or pulled in all directions, but sticking with the same old places and  the same old things.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe way he could have one of his migraines and then go right  back to what he was doing-fresh and at the top of his game.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat he had so few secrets-only  state secrets, in fact, and not all that many of those.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe way he kept public actions  within reasonable bounds-games, building projects, distributions of money and so  on-because he looked to what needed doing and not the credit to be gained from doing  it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo bathing at strange hours, no self-indulgent building projects, no concern  for food, or the cut and color of his clothes, or having attractive slaves. (The  robe from his farm at Lorium, most of the things at Lanuvium, the way he accepted  the customs agent's apology at Tusculum, etc.)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHe never exhibited rudeness, lost  control of himself, or turned violent. No one ever saw him sweat. Everything was  to be approached logically and with due consideration, in a calm and orderly fashion  but decisively, and with no loose ends.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYou could have said of him (as they say  of Socrates) that he knew how to enjoy and abstain from things that most people find  it hard to abstain from and all too easy to enjoy. Strength, perseverance, self-control  in both areas: the mark of a soul in readiness-indomitable.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e(Maximus's illness.)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e17. The Gods\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I had good grandparents, a good mother and father, a good sister,  good teachers, good servants, relatives, friends-almost without exception. And that  I never lost control of myself with any of them, although I had it in me to do that,  and I might have, easily. But thanks to the gods, I was never put in that position,  and so escaped the test.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I wasn't raised by my grandfather's girlfriend for  longer than I was. That I didn't lose my virginity too early, and didn't enter adulthood  until it was time-put it off, even.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I had someone-as a ruler and as a father-who  could keep me from being arrogant and make me realize that even at court you can  live without a troop of bodyguards, and gorgeous clothes, lamps, sculpture-the whole  charade. That you can behave almost like an ordinary person without seeming slovenly  or careless as a ruler or when carrying out official obligations.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I had the  kind of brother I did. One whose character challenged me to improve my own. One whose  love and affection enriched my life.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat my children weren't born stupid or physically  deformed.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I wasn't more talented in rhetoric or poetry, or other areas. If  I'd felt that I was making better progress I might never have given them up.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat  I conferred on the people who brought me up the honors they seemed to want early  on, instead of putting them off (since they were still young) with the hope that  I'd do it later.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I knew Apollonius, and Rusticus, and Maximus.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I saw  was shown clearly and often what it would be like to live as nature requires. The  gods did all they could-through their gifts, their help, their inspiration-to ensure  that I could live as nature demands. And if I've failed, it's no one's fault but  mine. Because I didn't pay attention to what they told me-to what they taught me,  practically, step by step.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat my body has held out, especially considering the  life I've led.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I never laid a finger on Benedicta or on Theodotus. And that  even later, when I was overcome by passion, I recovered from it.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat even though  I was often upset with Rusticus I never did anything I would have regretted later.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat even though she died young, at least my mother spent her last years with me.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat whenever I felt like helping someone who was short of money, or otherwise in  need, I never had to be told that I had no resources to do it with. And that I was  never put in that position myself-of having to take something from someone else.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat I have the wife I do: obedient, loving, humble.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat children had competent  teachers.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eRemedies granted through dreams-when I was coughing blood, for instance,  and having fits of dizziness. And the one at Caieta.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThat when I became interested  in philosophy I didn't fall into the hands of charlatans, and didn't get bogged down  in writing treatises, or become absorbed by logic-chopping, or preoccupied with physics.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAll things for which \"we need the help of fortune and the gods.\"\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Everyman's Library","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46301014556901,"sku":"NP9780679412717","price":28.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9780679412717.jpg?v=1767732504","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/meditations-isbn-9780679412717","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}