Enchiridion of Marcus Aurelius: A New Translation: The Stoic Enchiridion Series

By Marcus Aurelius and Gerald Adams

We can live the good life, if we can learn to not care about things that don't matter – Marcus Aurelius

 

A practical adaptation of Marcus Aurelius's wisdom, translated for modern readers.

 

Marcus Aurelius has been a guide to the good life for thousands of years. And now comes an adaptation and new translation of his most valuable wisdom and reflection about all aspects of life. Just like the Enchiridion of Epictetus, this Enchiridion brings concise and practical aphorisms about how to live life and how to deal with any problems. You will learn how to minimize anxiousness and maximize happiness, how to let go of the worries, and how to focus on important things. Each page features powerful advice and guidance that will inspire reflection and action. The Enchiridion of Marcus Aurelius is a concise and essential guide to Stoicism and the good life.

 

 

From the introduction:

War with the Persians, war with the Germans, a plague that killed over 5 million people, and the man that ruled the Roman Empire during these turbulent events was named Marcus Aurelius. He was born in 121 and was raised by his grandfather. From a young age he held various posts in the Roman Empire and he became Emperor of Rome in 161 and ruled till 180, when he died.

His rule was full of conflict and misfortune, but not because of him. He is considered one of the last good rulers of the Roman Empire. During his rule, he kept a diary for himself. This diary was published after his death and came to be known as 'Meditations'. It became very popular and continues to be popular to this day.

Meditations is a wonderful book, but it was not written for educational purposes. However, a lot can be learned from it. Taking inspiration from the Enchiridion of Epictetus, I have selected and translated Meditations to create this book. The aim of the book is the same as all the other Enchiridions: to teach about Stoic ideas and to help apply those ideas. I hope Marcus Aurelius's thoughts and my selection and translation serve you well.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Portia Press
• Release date: Dec 19, 2022
• ISBN: 9789083287942

Book preview

Introduction

Disaster struck the wealthy trader named Zeno of Citium in 304 BC. He was shipwrecked on the Mediterranean Sea. He lost almost everything. Yet, somehow he travelled to Athens and was introduced to the Cynic philosopher Crates. He studied with him and many other philosophers. And he quickly became dissatisfied with their philosophy. Out of frustration he created his own philosophy and started teaching it. He did this often on the porch of a building. The name for a porch in ancient Greek is Stoa Poikile. That is why people called his philosophy Stoicism.

Stoicism gained many followers in Athens, then in Greece and then in the Roman Empire. It survived Zeno for a long time, but eventually it too passed away. Yet, over the last 1500 years there have been continual revivals and we live in one today, because the ideas of the Stoics remain relevant to this day.

War with the Persians, war with the Germans, a plague that killed over 5 million people, and the man that ruled the Roman Empire during these turbulent events was named Marcus Aurelius. He was born in 121 and was raised by his grandfather. From a young age he held various posts in the Roman Empire and he became Emperor of Rome in 161 and ruled till 180, when he died.

His rule was full of conflict and misfortune, but not because of him. He is considered one of the last good rulers of the Roman Empire. During his rule, he kept a diary for himself. This diary was published after his death and came to be known as ‘Meditations’. It became very popular and continues to be popular to this day.

Meditations is a wonderful book, but it was not written for educational purposes. However, a lot can be learned from it. Taking inspiration from the Enchiridion of Epictetus, I have selected and translated Meditations to create this book. The aim of the book is the same as all the other Enchiridions: to teach about Stoic ideas and to help apply those ideas. I hope Marcus Aurelius’s thoughts and my selection and translation serve you well.

Section 1

A human life is a small moment and is constantly changing. Human perception is imprecise and our body is dying. Our mind is being moved,