false 17253942 964882 30659 0140449337 9780140449334 145 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1168080018m/30659.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/30659.Meditations 4.11 1204 Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, translated and introduced by Gregory Hays, by that standard, is very worthwhile, indeed. Hays suggests that its most recent incarnation--as a self-help book--is not only valid, but may be close to the author's intent. The book, which Hays calls, fondly, a "haphazard set of notes," is indicative of the role of philosophy among the ancients in that it is "expected to provide a 'design for living.'" And it does, both aphoristically ("Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly.") and rhetorically ("What is it in ourselves that we should prize?"). Whether these, and other entries ("Enough of this wretched, whining monkey life.") sound life-changing or like entries in a teenager's diary is up to the individual reader, as it should be. Hays's introduction, which sketches the life of Marcus Aurelius (emperor of Rome A.D. 161-180) as well as the basic tenets of stoicism, is accessible and jaunty. --H. O'Billovich]]> 17212 4.12 1615 215 446070 4.10 1260 148 164278 4.17 1774 190 3 0 false Fri Mar 07 13:19:21 -0800 2008 Fri Mar 07 13:19:32 -0800 2008