Meditations
Penguin Classics
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Meditations
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Narrated by:
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Richard Armitage
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Written by:
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Marcus Aurelius
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Diskin Clay
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Martin Hammond
About this listen
Brought to you by Penguin.
This Penguin Classic is performed by Richard Armitage, star of Peter Jackson'sThe Hobbit trilogy and also known for his roles in Ocean's 8 and Spooks. This definitive recording is translated with notes by Martin Hammond and an introduction by Diskin Clay. Originally written only for his personal consumption, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations has become a key text in the understanding of Roman Stoic philosophy.
Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius's own emotions. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation, in developing his beliefs Marcus also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a series of wise and practical aphorisms that have been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and ordinary readers for almost two thousand years.
Martin Hammond's new translation fully expresses the intimacy and eloquence of the original work, with detailed notes elucidating the text. This edition also includes an introduction by Diskin Clay, exploring the nature and development of the Meditations. Marcus Aelius Aurelius Antoninus (121-80) was adopted by the emperor Antoninus Pius and succeeded him in 161, (as joint emperor with adoptive brother Lucius Verus). He ruled alone from 169, and spent much of his reign in putting down various rebellions, and was a persecutor of Christians. His fame rest, above all, on his Meditations, a series of reflections, strongly influenced by Epictetus, which represent a Stoic outlook on life. He was succeeded by his natural son, thus ending the period of the adoptive emperors.
Public Domain (P)2019 Penguin AudioWhat listeners say about Meditations
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- CJ
- 2021-12-10
Scrooge McDuck Approved 🤔
As someone working to reinforce self control over the body and mind this book is very self empowering. One thing that I was personally struck by - due to my own terrible habit I created without realizing it - was how he talked with himself rationally instead of chastising himself for perfection. A set of flowing ideas that don't compete for importance and all equally valuable. And as the book recommended in the beginning I listened to it twice before deciding to leave this comment of opinion.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- keith
- 2022-08-15
Brilliant
An audibly rich & enlightening listen, for young men in search of purpose in the modern world. I've learned there's an amoral cause to nature, but there's good & peace found in ones acceptance of it. I recommend this, if you're a lost 20 year old like me, & believe there's no goal or natural responsibility you have in this world. Take your time with this one & enjoy!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zach
- 2022-06-26
Thought Provoking
it's short, full of substance with lots of replay value. The Narrator is great with stable audio and pacing.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- David Lakhan
- 2022-10-28
Pure Wealth
What else can be said but read it and for this platform, listen well. Then listen again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2024-09-09
Such valuable knowledge
Such an amazing audio book! There's so much to learn that I've go through it multiple times now and still am learning! What an incredible man and to be able to read how he thought is very enlightening!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 2023-12-07
Relaxing listen
Very informative and enlightening. Found myself relaxing and enjoying the moment. Richard armitage has a very gental masculine voice at the same time.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Darrell F
- 2024-01-27
Definitely worth a listen, audio engineering not great though
Pretty insightful stuff. it's understandable how it can endure for so many centuries.
There's clearly a few liberties with the translation.
The introduction sections before you get to the 12 books is unwarrantedly long, should have been 20-30 minutes. I wished I had skipped it and just started Book 1.
There's definitely some issues with the audio engineering. Edited audio clips (likely searching for the best one from the narrator) are not placed well. The first few letters/syllables are usually cut off, for example, you'll start a paragraph with "...t be upset with the Gods.", where it should be "Don't be upset with the Gods." This happens frequently. Yes this is a book from a few centuries ago, but you're not cutting and splicing audio tape, it's digital, it can be rectified.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Simon
- 2020-06-21
Wisdom of ages. Similar to St. Paul's writing.
Well paced narration. Provides historical and literary context prior to diving into the actual text, which is a good mental preparation. Most enjoyable for wisdom seekers with an adequate background in sociology.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Riofranco
- 2019-11-01
Such a Talent
Richard Armitage is very eloquent. He is such a delight to listen to. His performance in Castlevania as Simon Belmont is a testament to that.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2025-01-02
Clear consistent advice to take stock of your operation.
A classic read with valuable insights to serve as a moral compass. Roughly a 5 hour read with an excellent voice over.
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