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- Herausgeber: SK Digital Classics
- Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
- Sprache: Englisch
- Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2024
This new translation of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius presents the personal reflections of one of Rome's most significant emperors. Marcus Aurelius, emperor and Stoic philosopher, explores fundamental questions of existence in this work. His writings cover topics such as ethics, duty, and the nature of the universe. The book provides insight into the emperor's approach to reconciling philosophical ideals with the realities of governance and personal challenges.
This e-book edition of the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is the perfect manual for anyone striving for emotional resilience and philosophical clarity. It offers a personal journey into the mind of an emperor, offering universal truths on leadership, mortality, and self-mastery that remain relevant in contemporary contexts.
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Marcus Aurelius
Meditations
The Original Writings of Marcus Aurelius on Stoicism in a New Translation
Copyright © 2024 by Novelaris Press
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise without written permission from the publisher. It is illegal to copy this book, post it to a website, or distribute it by any other means without permission.
ISBN: 978-3-68931-029-5
Translation by Thomas Saverbius
Contents
First Book
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Second Book
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Third Book
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Fourth Book
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Fifth Book
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Sixth Book
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Seventh Book
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Eighth Book
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Ninth Book
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Tenth Book
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Eleventh Book
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Twelfth Book
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First Book
1.
I learned to be approachable and gentle from my grandfather Verus.
2.
My father’s glorious memory gave me the drive to become an unpretentious and at the same time masculine being.
3.
My mother instilled in me a sense of the fear of God, generosity and abstinence not only from evil deeds but also from such thoughts, as well as a love of simplicity in food and a way of life different from the opulence of the rich.
4.
I have my great-grandfather to thank for the fact that I didn’t have to go to public school, but was able to enjoy the lessons of good teachers at home and also learned that you shouldn’t save money on such things.
5.
My tutor admonished me not to take sides with either the Greens or the Blues in the circus, nor with the Round Shields any more than with the Long Shields among the gladiators, to get used to perseverance in endeavors, contentment with little and self-activity, not to meddle in other people’s affairs and to turn a deaf ear to slander.
6.
Diognetus warned me against the pursuit of vain things and the belief in the jugglers’ and black artists’ talk of incantations, spirit spells and other such things, against the cultivation of quails and similar amusements, and taught me to endure frankness and to make friends with philosophy. On his advice I listened to Bacchius, then Tandasis and Marcianus, wrote dialogues as a boy and only asked for a cot and an animal skin for my bed for the night and whatever else belonged to the way of life of Greek philosophers.
7.
Rusticus convinced me that I had to work on my improvement and character development, but that I should avoid the deviations of passionate sophists, that I should not write about empty theories, nor deliver speeches with the mien of a moral preacher, nor play the penitent or philanthropist in an obvious manner. Similarly, I was to keep away from rhetorical and poetic verbiage and other euphemisms, not to walk around in state dress at home, nor do anything else like that. From him I also learned to write simple, artless letters, as he himself wrote one from Sinuessa to my mother, to meet my opponents and insulters willingly and conciliatory as soon as they themselves were inclined to turn back, to read writings carefully, never to be satisfied with superficial contemplation and not to agree rashly with gossipers. He also introduced me to Epictetus’ treatises, which he gave me from his home library.
8.
From Apollonius I have the free way of thinking, which at the same time is thoughtful without wavering and does not in the least choose anything other than reason as its guiding star, as well as the constant equanimity under the most severe pain, at the loss of a child, in protracted illnesses. In him, as a living example, I saw clearly how one can be highly zealous and yet indulgent at the same time. I clearly saw in him a man who was not easily annoyed by his teaching and who, in addition, considered his dexterity and skill in lecturing to be the least of his advantages. Finally, he also showed me how to accept so-called favors from friends without becoming servilely submissive in return, nor to disregard them unrecognizably.
9.
From Sextus I learned to be benevolent, by his example to preside over my house as a father; to him I owe the resolution to live according to nature, an unaffected dignity of behavior and the diligence in guessing the wishes of friends, the patience against the ignorant and against people who indulge in thoughtless insanity, finally the art of putting myself in the place of all people. Therefore, there was more obliging friendliness in my dealings with him than in all flattery, and yet at the same time he was held in the highest esteem by the same people. He endowed me with the ability to find and arrange the principles necessary for wisdom in a convincing and orderly manner, never allowing anger or any other passion to break out, but at the same time combining with this complete dispassion the impulses of the most tender love and cultivating a good reputation, but without much fuss, and a wealth of knowledge, but without boasting.
10.
The grammarian Alexander instructed me to refrain from censure and hurtful reproaches against people who uttered a strange and unfamiliar or ill-sounding expression, and rather to suggest to them how they should have expressed themselves by the turn of the answer or the approving affirmation or joint inquiry about the matter itself and not about the expression or otherwise by such a suitable, incidental reminder.
11.
Fronto helped me to realize that resentment, cunning and hypocrisy are the consequences of arbitrary rule and that, in general, those who are called noble-born in our country have less love of humanity than others.
12.
Alexander, the Platonist, instructed me not to tell anyone often and never without necessity, either verbally or in writing, that I had no time for him, and not to constantly refuse to fulfill the duties imposed on us by our relationships with our fellow human beings on the pretext of urgent business.
13.
Catulus admonished me never to take a friend’s complaints contemptuously, even if he brought them up without reason, but rather to try how I could lead him back to the old goodwill towards me; likewise, as Demitius and Athenodotus also praised, to speak well of my teachers with warmth and to truly love my children.
14.
Through my brother Severus I became a friend of my relatives, as well as of truth and justice. Through him I made the acquaintance of Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dion and Brutus and gained the idea of a state administered according to equal laws and the principle of civil and legal equality, and of an empire where the freedom of the ruled is held in higher esteem than anything else. From him I was further instructed to persevere in a steadfast devotion to philosophy, to be charitable and generous to a great extent, to hope for the best from my friends and to trust in their love, also to express any disapproval of them without reserve and to tell them openly what I expect from them and what I do not expect, without leaving them to guess for long.
15.
Maximus convinced me of the duty of men to control themselves, not to allow themselves to be diverted from the right path by anything, to remain of good cheer in all circumstances and especially in illness, to adopt a character mixed with gentleness and dignity and to deal with the business at hand without grumbling. Everyone believed that he spoke as he thought and did nothing of what he did with bad intentions. He never allowed himself to be carried away by admiration or astonishment, nowhere did he show haste or lackadaisicalness, he was never at a loss, dejected, seemingly friendly and then again angry or suspicious. Benevolent, conciliatory, an enemy of lies, he presented more the image of a straight man than that of a person who makes improvements to himself. No one ever thought he despised them, nor did they dare to rise above him. Finally, he always observed decorum in his jokes.
16.
My father’s life was for me a school of gentleness and yet at the same time of unshakeable constancy in everything he had once decided on after careful consideration. He was insensitive to any vanity in apparent displays of honor, a friend of activity and undaunted in it, liked to listen to the charitable suggestions of others, let nothing stop him from treating everyone according to merit, knew quite well where to tighten the reins and where to ease off. Weaned from the love of boys, he had only a sense of the common good; he obliged his friends always to dine with him or to accompany him on his travels; but those who had had to stay behind because of urgent circumstances found him in the same mood on his return. In his deliberations, he first examined things thoroughly, but then insisted on carrying them out; he also never withdrew from the investigation before the time was right, nor was he content with the first best ideas. He tried to keep his friends and never grew weary of them, nor was he unreasonably partial to them. Satisfied in every situation, he was always cheerful; he took the future into consideration from afar and prepared himself for the slightest event without much ado. He rejected all cheering and flattery. He was always alert to the needs of the state and was economical in his spending of public money and willingly accepted the censure of such principles. He courted the favor of the gods just as little in a superstitious manner as he courted the favor of the people through the arts of the pleasing or by favoring the mob; rather, he was sober and firm in everything, nowhere indecent, nor fond of innovation. He used the goods which contributed to the amusement of life, and which fortune offered him in abundance, as far from wantonness as from evasions, and therefore enjoyed what he had just as much as he did not miss what he lacked. No one could say of him that he was a sophist or a chatterbox after the manner of the household slaves or a school pedant; rather, everyone had to admit that he was a man of mature intellect and great perfection, above flattery and equally adept at managing his own affairs as well as those of others. Moreover, he knew how to appreciate the value of true friends of wisdom without belittling others or allowing himself to be led astray by them. He was sociable and loved a joke, but without exaggeration. He also cared for his body with moderation, not like a man with too much zest for life in order to dress it up, but he did not neglect it either, which is why he very rarely needed the art of healing with its internal and external means, given his peculiar attentiveness. What is particularly praiseworthy about him, however, is that he gave priority without envy to men who possessed an outstanding strength in something, such as eloquence, the science of law derived from research, moral teaching or in other subjects, and even helped them so that each one would find recognition according to the degree of his particular skill. Furthermore, although he treated everything in accordance with the institutions of his ancestors, he avoided even the appearance of adherence to them. Moreover, he kept away from fickleness and inconstancy and liked to stay in the same places and at the same business, returning soon to his usual work with rejuvenated youthful vigor even after the most violent attacks of headache. He never had many secrets, on the contrary very few and very rarely, and these only concerned the common good. When organizing public games, staging buildings, distributing donations and other such activities, he showed himself to be a man of understanding and moderation, a man whose only concern was his duty and not the glory to be gained through his actions. He never bathed at an inopportune time, nor was he a bosom-builder, nor was he concerned with delicacies, the fabric and color of his clothes or the beauty of his slaves. He usually wore a toga from the lower villa at Lorium and an undergarment in lanuvium and, not without apology, an overskirt in tusculum; and such was his whole demeanor. There was nothing unfriendly, nor even unseemly, nor impetuous, nor anything like that to be discovered in him, of which one could have said, according to the proverb: “It was of excess”, but everything well thought out and, as it were, with good leisure, unshakeably ordered, firm and in agreement with himself. And so one could apply to him what is reported of Socrates, that he knew how to do without and enjoy things, in the deprivation of which many are weak and in the enjoyment of which they behave inordinately. But to endure courageously there, and to remain sober here, reveals a man of consummate and invincible strength of mind, and it was in this light that he showed himself during Maximus’ illness.
17.
I owe it to the gods that I have had righteous grandfathers, righteous parents, a righteous sister, righteous teachers, righteous housemates, relatives, friends, indeed almost entirely righteous people around me, but also that I did not allow myself to be tempted into a misstep by rashness against any of them, even though I had the disposition in me to do so, which would have enabled me to do something like that if the occasion had arisen. However, the grace of the gods prevented the coincidence of circumstances that would have overwhelmed me. I owe it to the same that I was not brought up longer with my grandfather’s concubine; that I preserved my youthful innocence; that I did not waste my manhood before the time, but even saved it beyond time; that I was subordinate to a lord and father who was able to eradicate every germ of arrogance in me and raise me to the conviction that one could live at the imperial court without needing bodyguards, ceremonial robes, torches and statues and other expenses of this kind, and could restrict oneself almost like a private citizen, without therefore compromising the dignity and seriousness in the fulfillment of one’s duties as a ruler towards the commonwealth. I also owe it to the gods that I was given a brother whose moral behavior encouraged me to take care of my inner life and at the same time delighted me with his respect and affection; that children were born to me who were not mentally untalented and physically not crippled; that I made no great progress in the arts of speech and poetry and in the other sciences, which would perhaps have tied me down too much if I had been aware of a happy progress; that I promptly elevated my educators to the positions of honor which they seemed to wish for me, without holding them back with the hope that I would only do so in the future because they were still too young for such positions. Thanks are also due to them that I became acquainted with Apollonius, Rusticus, Maximus; that I occupied myself vividly and often in thought about the manner of a life in accordance with nature; that nothing on the part of the gods and the gifts, aids, and stimuli coming from there prevented me from living in accordance with nature as soon as possible, if I did not want to remain behind in it through my own fault and by not following the divine admonitions and I would almost like to say revelations; that my body lasted so long with such a way of life; that I never touched Benedicta or Theodotus, and that I also recovered from my later love-fevers; that, although I was often displeased with Rusticus, I did not allow myself to do anything else that I should now regret; that my mother, who was to die so young, was still allowed to live with me in her last years; that as often as I wanted to support a poor person or someone else in need of help, I never had to hear that my financial means did not permit such support, and that I myself never found myself in the oppressive situation of having to accept something from someone else. I owe to the gods the possession of a wife who is so intelligent, so tenderly loving, so simple, the wealth of suitable educators for my children, the inspiration of remedies in dreams, among other things against blood-spitting and vertigo, and especially of the remedy for Cajeta, as if by an oracle; that finally, with my inclination to philosophy, I fell into the hands of no sophist, nor led an idle life reading writings, dissolving fallacies, investigating the celestial world. Yes, for all this I needed the help of the gods and good fortune.
Written among the quads at the Granua.
Second Book
1.
In the very first hour of the morning say to yourself: Today I will meet with a cheeky, ungrateful, overconfident, scheming, slanderous, unsociable person. All these faults cling to them only because of their ignorance of good and evil. I, on the other hand, realize that good is beautiful in its essence, evil ugly, and I know that the nature of even that which is lacking is related to my own, not of the same blood and seed, but of the same reason, of the same divine spark. I also know that neither he nor any other human being can harm me, for no one is able to involve me in anything shameful; but neither can I be angry or resentful towards the one who is related to me, for we are there to work together, like the feet, the hands, the eyelids, the upper and lower rows of teeth. To work against one another would therefore be contrary to nature, but to be angry with someone and turn away from him would be to work against him.
2.
What I may also be, after all, is a little flesh and spirit of life and the ruling reason. Away with the books! Don’t let yourself be dragged back and forth any more: you are not allowed to. Rather, rise above this little flesh as one who may soon have to die. After all, it is only blood and bone, a tissue woven from nerves, blood and wrists. But also consider your life spirit, what is it? A breath, and not even always the same one, but expelled and inhaled again every hour. The third then is the ruling reason. Now think thus: Thou art old; let it no longer be subservient, no longer be drawn to and fro by unsociable impulses like a puppet, no longer be indignant at thy present fate, nor seek cowardly to escape the future.
3.
The works of the gods are full of traces of their providence. Even the phenomena of happiness are not unnatural and do not occur without the cooperation and concatenation of the causes directed by Providence. Everything emanates from it. But to this must also be added that which is necessary and that which is beneficial to the world as a whole, of which you are a part. But what the nature of the whole brings with it and what contributes to its preservation must also be good for each individual part of nature. The transformations of the simple basic substances, as well as of the composite bodies, preserve the world. Be calm in this; this shall always serve as a lesson to you. But put away your thirst for books so that you do not die with grumbling, but with true cheerfulness and heartfelt gratitude to the gods.
4.
Consider how long you have postponed these contemplations and how often you have not used the opportunities offered to you by the gods. You should finally realize of which world you are a part, of which world ruler you are an outflow, that the limit of time has already been determined for you and that, if you do not use it to cheer up your mind, it will pass away and you will also pass away and it will not return.
