Written in the margins of war, for no eyes but his own, Marcus Aurelius's private reflections have become one of the most trusted companions in moral philosophy. Here the emperor-philosopher reminds himself to rise each morning and do the work of a human being, to meet opposition with patience, to hold fame and fortune lightly, and to accept death as part of nature's design. This edition presents the COMPLETE, UNABRIDGED original text — every book and passage exactly as the classic English translation rendered it — together with a new introduction placing the work in its historical moment and reader's notes illuminating Stoic terms and allusions. Whether you are meeting these pages for the first time or returning to a lifelong touchstone, you will find counsel that speaks plainly across nearly two millennia. Part of The Founding Texts Library.