Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180), philosopher-emperor, wrote the Meditations (his title was "The matters addressed to himself") in periods of solitude during military campaigns. His ethical, religious, and existential reflections have endured as an expression of Stoicism, a text for students of that philosophy, and a guide to the moral life.

These reflections on ethical, religious, and existential questions were written in periods of solitude during the emperor's military campaigns. Originally intended for his private guidance and self-admonition, the