Meditations of Marcus Aurelius

Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.


Marcus Aurelius wrote the 12 books of the Meditations in Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is unlikely that Marcus Aurelius ever intended the writings to be published and the work has no official title, so 'Meditations' is one of several titles commonly assigned to the collection. These writings take the form of quotations varying in length from one sentence to long paragraphs.