Marcus Aurelius: A Great Mind, but a Tough Read

While Marcus Aurelius was the last of the “Five Good Emperors,” I want to talk about the experience of actually reading Meditations.

I wouldn’t call this a typical book review. As I found out after I bought it, Meditations isn’t a history or a biography. It’s a book made of notes, thoughts, and personal credos. Because it was never written for an audience, it doesn’t flow. It feels like reading a stranger’s private journal or a series of brain dumps.

If you pick it up looking for a “great read,” you’ll find it choppy and a bit boring. There are brilliant life lessons and famous quotes sprinkled in there, but it isn’t the kind of book you settle into on the couch with a coffee for a relaxing afternoon. I struggled to finish it. I still value his thoughts and the weight of his meanings, but for pure reading enjoyment? It was a bit of a slog.