---
product_id: 102660291
title: "Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)"
price: "£1.64"
currency: GBP
in_stock: false
reviews_count: 13
url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/102660291-meditations-a-new-translation-modern-library
store_origin: GB
region: United Kingdom
---

# Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)

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- **What is this?** Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)
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## Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Timeless insights into what it takes to lead a meaningful life—still profoundly relevant nearly two thousand years later. Now featuring a brand-new foreword from Ryan Holiday, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Obstacle Is the Way ! “ Meditations offers a glimpse into [Marcus Aurelius’s] mind, his habits, and his approach to life. . . . I think any reader would find something useful to take away from it.”—James Clear, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits “It is unbelievable to see how the emperor’s words have stood the test of time. . . . Read a page or two anytime you feel like the world is too much.”—Arnold Schwarzenegger, The Wall Street Journal Your ability to control your thoughts—treat it with respect. It’s all that protects your mind from false perceptions—false to your nature, and that of all rational beings. A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. With bite-size insights and advice on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others, Meditations has become required reading not only for statesmen and philosophers alike, but also for generations of readers who responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. In Gregory Hays’s translation—the first in nearly four decades—Marcus’s thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh and unencumbered English, Hays vividly conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek text. Never before have Marcus’s insights been so directly and powerfully presented. With an Introduction that outlines Marcus’s life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style and construction of the Meditations, and the work’s ongoing influence, this edition makes it possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened and intelligent leaders of any era.

Review: Love it - Sometimes desertcart bundles multiple translations under one product listing, so this is the Gregory Hays translation. Overall I give the translation 5/5 just from the perspective of being well-written and free of errors. This is my first reading so I can't speak to "accuracy" per se, but overall the flow of the prose gives me a lot of assurance that it's a faithful translation. This translation comes with a large opening section detailing Marcus Aurelius' life and the geopolitical and social factors surrounding the work, as well as the history we know of how the work survived and was transmitted. This background is great because the Meditations were in part Marcus' personal diary. Many lines were only meant as personal reminders - a sort of philosophical to-do list - and some lines are still such non-sequiturs that scholars can't place them. Overall though, the Meditations is sort of a philosophical play book. Marcus is essentially coaching himself - how to act, what to think about, how to carry yourself. It makes for an incredibly actionable philosophical work. Overall, it's precisely the fact that Meditations was never meant to be read which makes it such good reading! This isn't a thorough treatise trying to explain why stoicism is the best philosophy, it's more of a step-by-step guide for how to live and breathe this philosophy. Famously, this work constantly mentions death. Marcus Aurelius constantly reminded himself that he was mortal, and that he could die at any time. He clearly expresses that this belief helps him act honorably at all moments. If you believe you could die today, Aurelius believed you'd be much more likely to express yourself fully and to avoid saying anything which was dishonest or which would cause you to feel regret later. This doesn't mean he ignored the future - preparing for a good life tomorrow, including diet and exercise, has benefits today as well as tomorrow. Meditations is rarely dry. It's quick, aphoristic "to-do list" style means varied points are given one after another. If you don't get something from one paragraph, the next might still be very important to you. It's similar to Nietzsche in that regard. Unlike Nietzsche however, this book goes strongly against ego. Aurelius doesn't say he is a genius, but that he is a human like any other. Overall this is a fairly unique work in terms of major philosophical books. Because this book wasn't meant to be published, it's one of the most brutally honest and effective works out there, especially because this ethos meshes with stoicism. One stoic principle might be, "write everything down - but write honestly, as though it will never get published". Aurelius accidentally accomplished that in strong fashion, and the philosophical world is all the better for it.
Review: A timeless manual for inner strength and clear thinking. - Meditations is a masterclass in mental discipline and personal clarity. This translation makes the ancient wisdom of Marcus Aurelius feel incredibly relevant and practical. What stood out most was his focus on controlling your thoughts, staying grounded in reason, and rising above chaos with calm and purpose. I’d recommend this book to entrepreneurs, leaders, athletes—anyone who wants to build resilience and act with intention. I gave it five stars because it’s more than a book—it’s a mindset upgrade.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #8,611 in Kindle Store ( See Top 100 in Kindle Store ) #1 in Occult Spiritualism #2 in Greek & Roman Philosophy (Kindle Store) #5 in Ethics & Morality |

## Images

![Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library) - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71i6uTU-9sL.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Love it
*by P***L on September 19, 2019*

Sometimes Amazon bundles multiple translations under one product listing, so this is the Gregory Hays translation. Overall I give the translation 5/5 just from the perspective of being well-written and free of errors. This is my first reading so I can't speak to "accuracy" per se, but overall the flow of the prose gives me a lot of assurance that it's a faithful translation. This translation comes with a large opening section detailing Marcus Aurelius' life and the geopolitical and social factors surrounding the work, as well as the history we know of how the work survived and was transmitted. This background is great because the Meditations were in part Marcus' personal diary. Many lines were only meant as personal reminders - a sort of philosophical to-do list - and some lines are still such non-sequiturs that scholars can't place them. Overall though, the Meditations is sort of a philosophical play book. Marcus is essentially coaching himself - how to act, what to think about, how to carry yourself. It makes for an incredibly actionable philosophical work. Overall, it's precisely the fact that Meditations was never meant to be read which makes it such good reading! This isn't a thorough treatise trying to explain why stoicism is the best philosophy, it's more of a step-by-step guide for how to live and breathe this philosophy. Famously, this work constantly mentions death. Marcus Aurelius constantly reminded himself that he was mortal, and that he could die at any time. He clearly expresses that this belief helps him act honorably at all moments. If you believe you could die today, Aurelius believed you'd be much more likely to express yourself fully and to avoid saying anything which was dishonest or which would cause you to feel regret later. This doesn't mean he ignored the future - preparing for a good life tomorrow, including diet and exercise, has benefits today as well as tomorrow. Meditations is rarely dry. It's quick, aphoristic "to-do list" style means varied points are given one after another. If you don't get something from one paragraph, the next might still be very important to you. It's similar to Nietzsche in that regard. Unlike Nietzsche however, this book goes strongly against ego. Aurelius doesn't say he is a genius, but that he is a human like any other. Overall this is a fairly unique work in terms of major philosophical books. Because this book wasn't meant to be published, it's one of the most brutally honest and effective works out there, especially because this ethos meshes with stoicism. One stoic principle might be, "write everything down - but write honestly, as though it will never get published". Aurelius accidentally accomplished that in strong fashion, and the philosophical world is all the better for it.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ A timeless manual for inner strength and clear thinking.
*by L***L on June 3, 2025*

Meditations is a masterclass in mental discipline and personal clarity. This translation makes the ancient wisdom of Marcus Aurelius feel incredibly relevant and practical. What stood out most was his focus on controlling your thoughts, staying grounded in reason, and rising above chaos with calm and purpose. I’d recommend this book to entrepreneurs, leaders, athletes—anyone who wants to build resilience and act with intention. I gave it five stars because it’s more than a book—it’s a mindset upgrade.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ One of the Greatest Works of Stoicism
*by B***N on April 14, 2026*

I finally got around to reading Meditations after owning it for years, drawn by its reputation as a cornerstone of Stoicism. While I can clearly see why it has endured for nearly two thousand years—and why so many people rate it so highly—it didn’t fully land as a 5-star experience for me. The book is not really a “book” at all, but a collection of personal notes, often repetitive, sometimes dull, and lacking the kind of structure or intellectual progression I usually expect from philosophy. That said, there is undeniable value here. Many of the reflections are powerful, especially around control, discipline, impermanence, and how to deal with adversity. But this leads to my main critique: I don’t see Marcus Aurelius as a philosopher in the same sense as Aristotle or Kant. He doesn’t build a system—he reminds himself how to live. He is, in my view, a wise man rather than a philosopher. In the end, Meditations feels less like a coherent philosophy and more like a lifelong practice—something to revisit in small doses rather than read cover to cover. There are great lines and moments of clarity throughout, but also inconsistencies and a strong focus on endurance rather than joy. A valuable read, but not a mind-blowing one.

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*Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom*
*Store origin: GB*
*Last updated: 2026-05-19*