In the same way, humans are responsible for their choices and actions, even though these have been anticipated by the logos and form part of its plan. If the dog refuses to run along with the wagon he will be dragged by it, yet the choice remains his: to run or be dragged. “According to this theory, man is like a dog tied to a moving wagon. They are ‘ spiritual exercises’ composed to provide a momentary stay against the stress and confusion of everyday life: a self-help book in the most literal sense…the individual entries were composed not as a record of Marcus’s thoughts or to enlighten others, but for his own use, as a means of practicing and reinforcing his own philosophical convictions.”

“Perhaps the best description of the entries is that suggested by the French scholar Pierre Hadot.

The entries contain little or nothing related to Marcus’s day-to-day life.” “How are we to categorize the Meditations? It is not a diary, at least in the conventional sense.He would have claimed to be, at best, a diligent student and a very imperfect practitioner of a philosophy developed by others.” He never thought of himself as a philosopher. “The title ( Meditations) is one that Marcus himself would surely have rejected.That this was a dark and stressful period for him can hardly be doubted.” “The composition of the Meditations is normally dated to the 170s-Marcus’s last decade.

“ The questions that the Meditations tries to answer are primarily metaphysical and ethical ones: Why are we here? How should we live our lives? How can we ensure that we do what is right? How can we protect ourselves against the stresses and pressures of daily life? How should we deal with pain and misfortune? How can we live with the knowledge that someday we will no longer exist?” Short Overview of Meditations & Marcus Aurelius by Gregory Hays Intro to the Book & Marcus Aurelius (by Gregory Hays) Short Overview of “Meditations” & Marcus Aurelius:Ģ5 Top Themes for How to Live a Good Life: Post Contents: Click a link here to jump to a section below For quick access if you buy the book, I’ve shown the book number and chapter/verse number at the end of each quote (for instance, 6.10 means Book 6, Chapter/Verse 10).I’ve added emphasis to quotes in bold throughout this post.All quotes are from Marcus Aurelius translated by Gregory Hays unless otherwise stated.Hays is more modern, and seems to be a favorite of Ryan Holiday, author of Stillness is the Key (book summary). After some quick research, it looks like Gregory Hays (Amazon) and George Long (free online) are two popular translations. The first thing you may want to know is which translation to read. In fact, I was genuinely and pleasantly surprised to see how much of the book is dedicated to topics like: fate, destiny, nature, God, oneness, interconnectedness, soul, and our common humanity.

Gregory hays