Search  for anything...
Modern Library

Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library (Hardcover))

    • Based on 1,848 reviews
Condition: New
Checking for product changes
$10.99 Why this price?
Save $13.01 was $24.00

Buy Now, Pay Later

As low as $2 / mo
  • – 4-month term
  • – No impact on credit
  • – Instant approval decision
  • – Secure and straightforward checkout

Ready to go? Add this product to your cart and select a plan during checkout. Payment plans are offered through our trusted finance partners Klarna, PayTomorrow, Affirm, Afterpay, Apple Pay, and PayPal. No-credit-needed leasing options through Acima may also be available at checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Free shipping on this product

This item is eligible for return within 30 days of receipt

To qualify for a full refund, items must be returned in their original, unused condition. If an item is returned in a used, damaged, or materially different state, you may be granted a partial refund.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

Availability: Only 4 left in stock, order soon!
Fulfilled by Amazon
Arrives Thursday, Nov 28
Order within 20 hours and 27 minutes
Available payment plans shown during checkout

Description

Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life.Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. In Gregory Hays’s new translation—the first in thirty-five years—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. Read more


Publisher ‏ : ‎ Modern Library; First Printing edition (May 14, 2002)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0679642609


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 02


Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1150L


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12.4 ounces


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.59 x 0.7 x 8.32 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #1,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Spiritualism #6 in Greek & Roman Philosophy (Books) #11 in Philosophy Movements (Books)


#4 in Spiritualism:


Frequently asked questions

If you place your order now, the estimated arrival date for this product is: Thursday, Nov 28

Yes, absolutely! You may return this product for a full refund within 30 days of receiving it.

To initiate a return, please visit our Returns Center.

View our full returns policy here.

  • Klarna Financing
  • Affirm Pay in 4
  • Affirm Financing
  • Afterpay Financing
  • PayTomorrow Financing
  • Financing through Apple Pay
Leasing options through Acima may also be available during checkout.

Learn more about financing & leasing here.

Similar Products

Top Amazon Reviews

    • A word of caution
Amazon lumps different translations together as merely variations on how the book is delivered. In this case, the Hays translation is the hardcover, while the authors who translated the paperback and Kindle versions aren't specified. So use the tools available (look inside, free sample) to get an idea of the language used by the author and see if it's something you'd like to read, or if a different translation suits you better. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2016 by Nom de Bloom
    • A decent sized book... for an 8-foot tall Sasquatch
Review Image by Miguel Ernesto Sosa
This review is for this particular print, and not the Greg Hays translation. I was very much looking forward to receiving this book based on positive reviews (which I have not read). When I opened the package I was quite preplexed: Think back to your childhood, and recall the largest coloring book that you owned. Now imagine trying to read that book with a wingspan basically as wide as your shoulders. That is how large this book is. To be fair, the dimensions are listed, but in counterpoint I never thought I'd need to check its size on the off-chance that it was printed on a press previously used for world atlases. I included a picture to show just how ridiculous it is, in the hopes that others are spared this oversized embarrassment of a print run. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2021 by Miguel Ernesto Sosa
    • It doesn't age well, even in expert translation
I've reread it in 10-15 year intervals when I hear an otherwise bright modern reference it. It's a quick essay-length airport reread. I revisit it to try to re-understand what a modern referencing mind imagines is said. 'Meditations' is as pure hubris as the classics get IMHO. Over the years and exposure to deep diving history, reflecting on life's experience, and adding cumulative historical knowledge, 'Meditations' diminishes in stature the more you discover. It's an almost comic book superhero genre. It's peculiarly obscene in time and place. Marcus Aurelius thought highly of himself and goes to lengths to say so. But, did he write it? Was it commissioned propaganda? Aurelius's other literary contexts reflect a roughshod handle on rhetoric. What did his contemporaries (not on his payroll) have to say? The supposed author Aurelius was a monster then. He'd be a monster now. History tells of an unbounded psychopath. It's a mystery how Meditations become a touch-point in human literary force. Backgrounder: Marcus changed his name from already high noble Marcus Antoninus. But, Antonius was inadequate for the man. He chose to switch names to Marcus Aurelius Augustus, i.e. 'Marcus the Golden Emperor.' Who does that? He conjured a myth from among more ancient Caesarian concepts of man-god. He pronounced himself as a fresh God-Emperor at a time when jaded citizens write that they knew better. Aurelius occupies a unique place among Teutonic, Xtian, and Parthian genocidests. None to noble from his deathbed, he curses his enemies with his last words as if he'd learned nothing from a life of futile, empire-ending war. His relentless bankrupting campaigns were repaid 200 years later by the Teutonic tribes his campaigns enraged to presage a far better Roman Gothic Emperor Theodoric. Some historians claim his reign as the 'Height of Empire' when it seems clear that it was his doing that begins the end of the Western Empire. I've come to view Meditations as a benchmark of crazy non-normative psychology. I do hope those that admire it read it in the context of the man's reality. My first read was in Latin with a #2 Ticonderoga pencil translation 50-some years ago. As a kid, I thought he was pretty cool. Not as succinct or primitive as Julius. Nothing like Livy or Virgil. I liked Marcus Aurelius. I thought he was a genius. Marcus Aurelius wrote like a man to be heard. Such was my youth. There is a line of classical thinking that Meditations was a propaganda piece paid to be written to make the monster appear, human, a wise everyman worthy of remembrance. The movie Gladiator amplified the myth to render Aurelius the kindly, deep thinking father even better than Meditations could accomplish. To explore the man and his reign makes it easier to refute Meditations as authentic. Recall that this wise every man had sired and shared power with his delightfully insane son Commodus who would go on to forever end Pax Romana. Marcus Aurelius, for all intents, could be fingered as the single point failure to the French 18th-century notion of the Fall of the Roman Empire (it didn't 'fall'). This translation is quite interesting. Latin in time and place can be understood in so many ways. Meditations are written 200 years after "Comments on a Gallic War" and Livy's 'Histories' for the advanced Latin student. Try your hand reading the US Constitution to discern a universal Founder's intent in our modern context. One can see firsthand how language and word meanings morph, fade, and add a new texture. Translations in the modern linguistic context are always appreciated. Hays delivers one of the best translations ever on word for word, phrase for phrase context. There are a handful of pivotal verse specifics to compare. Gregory Hays nails it. This is likely the last time I'll re-reconsider Meditations. I suppose everyone needs to come to a grasp of it if they claim to have read it. More than a few folks that claim its 'wisdom' have not meditated on it. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on March 6, 2022 by Sotto voce
    • Get this translation!
One of the biggest pitfalls of literature (that should be read by everyone) is if something is translated from one language to another - the translation matters! A LOT! Many books are translated from another language into old English which no one but scholars understand. This happens with Dante's Infero, etc. You end up feeling dumb because you can't understand, and end up not only not reading it - but being turned off by even trying! It can make you feel very limited. THIS translation is perfect! Poetic and easy to understand. Everyone should read it. I would also say if you are weary, tried too many bad translations, or are impatient, start with "Book 2" in meditations. That's what you're looking for. You won't be disappointed. Side note: You can read any book and enjoy it. Find out which translation is updated best for modern English. There are lots of sources online (including regular forums) where people/articles will say which translator is easy to read or what they prefer. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on April 4, 2021 by She
    • Might as well have printed my own
Review Image by SH
Review Image by SH
Review Image by SH
Review Image by SH
This book looks like somebody copied a real book and then printed it at home with some sort of fancy book-making equipment. Unfortunately, the chapter font is weird and printed in different sizes. This book is also huge, which I wasn't expecting. Some of the pages are blurry or small and this is definitely not what I was hoping for. I could have printed my own copy and gotten the formatting right. I haven't read this copy yet (I am familiar with other translations of the work), but based on the rest of the book, I don't have perfect faith that things will be as they should be. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2021 by SH
    • Excellent translation!
Don't bother with any other translation. This is the one to get!
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2021 by s tracy
    • Defective Both Times :(
Review Image by Toothpick101
Review Image by Toothpick101
Review Image by Toothpick101
Super disappointed that Amazon was the only place I could find this exact version. I bought it as a Christmas present for my boyfriend and would have really liked to see the product before I bought it. The first time I returned it because it had glue along the top pages and trying to pick it off would have damaged the book. I just received the exchange and it’s got a big grease stain on the top that soaks through into the hard cover of the book and greasy fingerprints all over the front cover. Terrible quality and not fit for a present I would ever give someone. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 17, 2019 by Toothpick101
    • It's What We Need Now
A beloved classic book by Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome and Stoic philosopher. The meditations were his journal writings for himself about how to be a good man. The four stoic values are wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. Marcus Aurelius was the most revered and best of all the emperors. This book has been read for over 2000 years and is a guide to how to be a good person in a turbulent world of good and evil and how to handle what ever situation life puts you in. Excellent and easy to read translation. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2020 by Amazon Customer

Can't find a product?

Find it on Amazon first, then paste the link below.