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Discovering Stoic Wisdom: The Best Books on Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius left twelve "books" written in ancient Greek, given the general title "Meditations." This work briefly shows death, freedom, and will. Could anyone have thought that a philosopher who lived in the classical period would so accurately describe the events taking place today? The ancient philosopher's aphorisms still touch everyone's soul.

According to the philosopher, morality is based on obedience to nature; it creates a quality of spirit called simplicity: a person should be simple. Also, Marcus Aurelius called to love one's enemies and created the ideal of forgiveness; he learned to see a person as a "political animal," and therefore, in his morality, a lot of space is devoted to social duties - in this, he went further than Seneca and Epictetus. In his "Meditations," Marcus Aurelius drew particular attention to the issue of death. He, like Seneca, said that death was not something terrible and sad; life itself was an eternal repetition, and death w

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Marcus Aurelius

March 17, 2013

Frank McLynn's account of the life and world of Emperor Marcus Aurelius does lack for detail. McLynn explains the life of a young Roman aristocrat who lives in a world of increasing inequality. To use a modern phrase, the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. To put a more precise point on it, the Augustan Principate as a system government now seems to be suffering from the same fate as the Republican Senatorial establishment that it had replaced. Rome is facing great troubles and the government that is supposed to solve Rome's problems is either ignoring them at best or encouraging them at worst.* Gaining the notice of the Emperor Hadrian, young Marcus is adopted into the imperial family and is put on the direct path to the imperial throne. After an over two decade stint as the presumptive heir under Emperor Antonius Pious, he ascends to the imperial throne. As emperor he does many things but very little to solve Rome's larger problems.

Frank McLynn comes across in his writing as very knowledgeable about various topics, unfortuna

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Marcus Aurelius The Best 5 Books to Read

Marcus Aurelius was Roman emperor from 161 to 180 CE, and a significant contributor to the philosophy of Stoicism (see our reading list of Stoicism’s best books here).

Marcus reigned during a time of many significant military conflicts, as well as the Antonine Plague, a pandemic that devastated the population of the Roman Empire, causing the deaths of five million people.

Despite these difficult events — or perhaps because of them — the philosophy Marcus advocated is one of calmness and serenity (see, for instance, Marcus on why practicing kindness is central to living a good life). As he advises in one of many natty aphorisms:

You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

Along with Seneca and Epictetus (see our explainers of Seneca on the shortness of life here, and Epictetus’s dichotomy of control here), Marcus is one of the three Roman Stoic philosophers considered foundational to shaping and popularizing the tradition.

One reason the Roman Stoics are so celebrated is the directn