Marcus Aurelius
The plain-English guide: which translation to pick, how to read Meditations, the books about him worth your time, his core ideas, the lines people quote (and one he never wrote), and his life in five minutes.
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Fast facts
- Born
- 26 April 121 AD · Rome
- Died
- 17 March 180 AD · on campaign on the Danube (aged 58)
- Emperor
- 161–180 AD (with Lucius Verus as co-emperor until 169)
- Philosophy
- Stoicism
- Only book
- Meditations (written in Greek, c. 170–180)
- Best first edition
- Gregory Hays's translation (Modern Library, 2002)
- Free edition
- George Long's 1862 translation (public domain)
- Known as
- The last of the 'Five Good Emperors'
Where to start with Marcus Aurelius
There is only one book by him, so the real choice is the translation. Start with Gregory Hays's modern, plain-English Meditations. Read it a few entries at a time rather than cover to cover; it is a notebook, not an argument. Skip Book 1 at first (a list of thanks to the people who shaped him) and come back to it at the end. Then read a book about him to see the man behind the notes.
- 1
Clear modern English with a short, excellent introduction. Start at Book 2, read a few entries a day, and mark what stops you.
- 2
Book 1 of Meditations
Find it on Amazon· affiliateRead it last, not first. Once you know his voice, his list of what he learned from each teacher and family member reads as a quiet portrait of who he was trying to be.
- 3
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (Donald Robertson)
Find it on Amazon· affiliateWeaves his life together with the Stoic techniques he used, in the voice of a psychotherapist. The easiest bridge from his notes to practice.
- 4
The Inner Citadel (Pierre Hadot)
Find it on Amazon· affiliateThe classic deep reading of Meditations as a set of daily spiritual exercises. Denser, but it changes how you read every entry.
- 5
A second translation
Find it on Amazon· affiliateRe-read in Martin Hammond (Penguin) or Robin Waterfield's annotated edition. Different wording surfaces different lines.
Translations differ more than readers expect. Hays is the easiest to read; Hammond and Waterfield stay closer to the Greek and add notes; George Long (1862) is free online but in Victorian English. Our book-by-book summary of Meditations covers all twelve books.
Meditations, the best translations, and the books about him
Marcus wrote one book. These are the editions worth choosing between, then the books that explain the man and his philosophy.
- 1862
1. Meditations, tr. George Long
ModeratefreeThe Victorian translation that most free online copies use. Accurate and in the public domain, but 'thee' and 'thou' make it slow going for a first read.
- Penguin, 1964
2. Meditations, tr. Maxwell Staniforth
ModerateThe Penguin Classics standard for decades: fluent mid-century English with a helpful introduction to Stoicism.
The most readable modern version and the one most people start with. Plain, direct English that sounds like a person talking to himself.
Find it on Amazon· affiliateRead the summary on Read Stacks →
- Penguin Classics, 2006
4. Meditations, tr. Martin Hammond
ModeratePenguin's newer translation: close to the Greek, with detailed notes. The pick for a careful second reading.
- Basic Books, 2021
5. Meditations: The Annotated Edition, tr. Robin Waterfield
ModerateA fresh translation with notes on almost every entry explaining the Stoic ideas and Roman context behind it.
- 1966, revised 1987
6. Marcus Aurelius: A Biography (Anthony Birley)
HardThe standard scholarly life of Marcus: the family, the court, the wars, drawn from the ancient sources.
- 1992, English 1998
7. The Inner Citadel (Pierre Hadot)
HardA great historian of ancient philosophy reads Meditations as Marcus training his own judgment day by day. The book that shaped modern readings of him.
- 2019
8. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor (Donald Robertson)
GentlePart biography, part guide to the Stoic techniques Marcus used on himself: the view from above, preparing for difficult people, judging events less harshly.
His big ideas, explained simply
The handful of thoughts he returns to again and again, in plain English.
Events don't upset you; your judgments do
Things outside you cannot reach your mind. What disturbs you is the opinion you form about them, and that opinion is yours to examine and change. He reminds himself of this constantly (for example Book 4.3).
Prepare for the day
Book 2 opens with a morning exercise: today I will meet people who are meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest. Expect it, remember they act from ignorance, and don't let it make you like them.
The obstacle becomes the way
What blocks one action becomes the material for another: a chance to practise patience, fairness or courage. Nothing can stop you from acting well (5.20).
Everything passes
Emperors, cities and reputations all vanish. He uses this not to despair but to cut vanity and anger down to size and to put his attention on what he can do now.
The view from above
Picture your life from high up, among countless other lives across time. Petty worries shrink, and what matters (acting justly, doing your work) stays.
We are made for each other
People are born to work together, like hands or feet. So the common good is part of your own good, and anger at others works against your own nature.
Famous quotes, and what they actually mean
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
A setback is not the end of acting well; it is the next thing to act well with. The line behind Ryan Holiday's The Obstacle Is the Way.
“Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.”
Philosophy that stays theory is useless to him. The test is how you behave today.
“The best revenge is not to be like that.”
When someone wrongs you, the answer is not to copy them. Staying decent is the only win worth having.
“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
Happiness depends less on circumstance than on how you judge and use what you already have.
Wordings follow the most widely cited English renderings; translations differ, so the book and section are named for each.
His life, in five minutes
Marcus was born in Rome in 121 AD into a wealthy family close to the imperial court. The emperor Hadrian noticed the serious boy, and in 138, as part of Hadrian's plan for the succession, Marcus was adopted by the next emperor, Antoninus Pius. He was trained for power by the best teachers in Rome, including the orator Fronto, but it was philosophy, and above all the Stoicism of Epictetus, that won him.
He became emperor in 161 and, unusually, at once made his adoptive brother Lucius Verus co-emperor; Verus died in 169. The reign was hard. A devastating epidemic, the Antonine Plague, spread through the empire from the mid-160s, and from the late 160s Marcus spent years fighting Germanic tribes along the Danube in the Marcomannic Wars. Notes in the text place parts of Meditations in army camps there, ‘among the Quadi’ and ‘at Carnuntum’.
He died on campaign in March 180, aged 58, and was succeeded by his son Commodus, whose disastrous reign made the contrast with his father sharper still. Meditations survived by chance, was first printed in 1559, and has been read ever since by soldiers, statesmen and ordinary people looking for a steadier mind.
Common misreadings to avoid
Marcus is quoted everywhere and often misquoted. Four corrections.
The myth: Meditations is a book he wrote to teach others.
What is true: It is a private notebook. He gave it no title for readers (manuscripts call it 'To Himself'), and much of it repeats the same reminders because he was training himself, not explaining Stoicism.
The myth: 'You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.'
What is true: This popular line is a modern paraphrase and appears in no standard translation. The idea is his, though: he writes again and again that things cannot touch the mind, only our opinions about them can (for example 4.3).
The myth: Stoicism means suppressing your feelings.
What is true: Marcus writes about grief, gratitude, love for his teachers and family, and his own irritation. The aim is to judge what happens accurately so that anger and fear do not run your actions, not to feel nothing.
The myth: He was a flawless philosopher-king.
What is true: He tried hard and wrote honestly about falling short. His reign included harsh wars, local persecutions of Christians, and the choice of Commodus as heir. Read him as a struggling person, not a saint.
Frequently asked questions
Where should I start with Marcus Aurelius?
With Meditations in Gregory Hays's translation. Start at Book 2, read a few entries a day, and leave Book 1 (his list of thanks) for the end.
Which translation of Meditations is best?
For a first read, Gregory Hays (Modern Library, 2002). For a closer, annotated reading, Martin Hammond (Penguin, 2006) or Robin Waterfield's annotated edition (2021). George Long's 1862 translation is free but old-fashioned.
Did Marcus Aurelius write any other books?
No. Meditations is his only philosophical work. Some of his letters survive in the correspondence of his teacher Fronto, but they are personal letters, not a book.
Was Meditations meant to be published?
No. It was written for himself, in Greek, probably during the last ten years of his life. It survived and was first printed in 1559.
How long does Meditations take to read?
It is short, twelve 'books' of mostly brief notes, and can be read in a few sittings. Most readers get more from reading it slowly, a few entries a day, over weeks.
Is Meditations free?
George Long's 1862 translation is in the public domain and free online. Modern translations such as Hays, Hammond and Waterfield are under copyright.
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Researched and written by the Read Stacks editorial team. Last verified October 8, 2026. Dates and facts follow the standard historical record; quotations name their book and section.