Step into the private reflections of a Roman emperor and discover one of the most influential works of philosophy ever written.Meditations is a collection of personal writings and spiritual reflections by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, translated by eminent Classical scholar George Long. His thoughts on how to lead a virtuous life, the importance of tranquillity and his ideas on how to reconcile the challenges of public and private life have become one...

A Greek Stoic philosopher of the first and second century, Epictetus settled permanently in Nicopolis in Epirus, where he founded his own school, which he called a ‘healing place for sick souls.’ There he taught a practical philosophy, which has been recorded by his principal student Arrian, the famous author of the historical work ‘Anabasis of Alexander’. The ‘Discourses’ present Epictetus’ Stoic ethics as broad and firm in method, and occasionally humorous and melancholic in spir...

Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus was the model of what we call a philosopher-king. Though his rule was troubled by war and conflict, he remained a thoughtful and even-handed ruler.Meditations isn’t a complete book, but rather a collection of his personal diary entries written over a ten-year campaign in Greece. The entries were never meant to be published; instead, they were a reminder to himself of how to remain calm, tranquil, and kind, even in the worst ...

"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts." Meditations is a series of personal reflections by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor 161–180 CE, written over a series of years in far-flung places as he led the Romans in military campaigns, quashed revolts, and dealt with the other tribulations of governing the Empire. It is best described as a spiritual journal, containing a r...

Marcus Aurelius is one of the most widely appreciated of ancient philosophers. The work for which he is best known, the Meditations, occupies a special place not only in our intellectual and cultural history but also – for those who have read him – as an enduring source of ethical guidance.The Meditations is one of the highest manifestations of practical wisdom that the classical Western world – or, indeed, the Western world generally – has given us. Marcus Aurelius was a pragmatic...

How to Attract Success & Fortune assembles thirty works of self-culture, practical philosophy, economic critique, and popular instruction into a capacious genealogy of achievement. Its contents range from aphoristic meditations and strategic counsels to motivational essays, entrepreneurial narratives, and theories of mind, habit, and prosperity. Classical wisdom, modern self-help, and skeptical accounts of status and consumption meet here, making the volume more than a simple handbook: it ...

The final volume of Plutarch’s Lives completes one of the greatest achievements in biographical literature.Plutarch brings together further portraits of Greek and Roman figures whose lives illustrate the enduring tensions between power and principle, ambition and restraint. As throughout the work, Plutarch’s concern is not chronology alone, but moral insight. Small actions, private decisions, and personal habits are treated as keys to understanding public greatness...

Meditations is described by Wikipedia as "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 Koine Greek as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. It is possible that large portions of the work were written at Sirmium, where he spent much time planning military campaigns from 170 to 180. Some of it was written wh...

In Plutarch’s Lives, Plutarch examines greatness not through conquest alone, but through character revealed under pressure.This second volume continues Plutarch’s distinctive approach, pairing Greek and Roman figures to illuminate shared virtues and contrasting moral failures. The lives collected here, including Pelopidas and Marcellus, Aristeides and Cato, and Pyrrhus among others, explore themes of discipline, ambition, justice, and restraint. Through co...

Plutarch’s Lives continues its exploration of character and consequence in this third volume, examining figures whose lives were shaped by uncertainty, ambition, and political danger.Here, Plutarch presents paired biographies such as Nikias and Crassus, Sertorius and Eumenes, and Agesilaus, drawing attention to how temperament, foresight, and moral judgment determine outcomes as much as external events. Success and failure are traced not to fate alone, but...

Plutarch’s Lives is one of the most influential works of classical literature, shaping how generations have understood leadership, character, and moral responsibility.Written in the early second century AD by Plutarch, these paired biographies examine the lives of eminent Greeks and Romans not merely as historical figures, but as moral examples. Rather than writing conventional history, Plutarch focuses on character, how virtues and flaws shape decisions, ...

The Thoughts of The Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by George Long - The Original Classic EditionFinally available, a high quality book of the original classic edition.This is a new and freshly published edition of this culturally important work, which is now, at last, again available to you.Enjoy this classic work today. These selected paragraphs distill the contents and give you a quick look inside:A rescript of Hadrian to Minucius Fundanus, the Proconsu...