Few ancient works have been as influential as the MEDITATIONS of Marcus Aurelius. A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus¿s insights and advice¿on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others¿have made the MEDITATIONS required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. In Gregory Hays¿s new translation¿the first in thirty-five years¿Marcus¿s thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh and unencumbered English, Hays vividly conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek text. Never before have Marcus¿s insights been so directly and powerfully presented. With an Introduction that outlines Marcus¿s life and career it is possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened and intelligent leaders of any era.