Though professing philosophy as his guide in life and following her rule, Marcus Aurelus makes no pretence to learning or wisdom for himself.

"I have learned from my grandfather Verus : the lessons of noble character and even temper.

From my father's reputation and my memory of him: modesty and manliness.

From my mother: piety and bountifulness, to keep myself not only from doing evil but even from dwelling on evil thoughts, simplicity too in diet and to be far removed from the ways of the rich.

From my mother's grandfather: not to have attended public schools but enjoyed good teachers at home, and to have learned the lesson that on things like these it is a duty to spend liberally.

From my tutor: not to become a partisan of the Green jacket or the Blue in the races, nor of Thracian or Samnite gladiators; to bear pain and be content with little; to work with my own hands, to mind my own business, and to be slow to listen to slander."

Meditation of an Emperor - The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius

This book is about my experiences in the London Ambulance Service. I joined the Patient Transport Service in July 1989 and left after 20 years of service, in 2009. I then moved to Devon and worked in the South Western Ambulance Service, in their control room for three years, before retiring. This book is something I felt I had to do as it was always in the back of my mind. Not for fame or fortune, (fat chance) it's just a story of my experiences that I felt had to be told. My book is about some of the calls that I attended, and include: the elderly, murder, hangings, mental illness, fires and other situations, as well as my time with the Patient Transport Service. I hope you enjoy this small insight into a very satisfying and rewarding job - an immensely important job in our society as are the other emergency services. I moved away from my busy Lavender Hill station in 2002. Therefore, all the emergency calls I attended, all take place during the period I worked there, and at my first station, and other stations where I worked overtime. All the calls take place in London. My book is not indicative of the majority of staff within this service. As with every organisation, there will always be bad apples - and those bad apples can infect the good ones. My book has and each chapter is preceded with a Tanka[1] and/or other poem, a sketch or an illustration. I am very different to other people in that I am an I. N. F. J. and also have something called Synaesthesia. Some of my stories are told with the benefit of hindsight, and what was discovered, and heard at coroner's court, and my being an I. N. F. J.. My senses are so acute that I can absorb their energy, (good and bad) hear their thoughts, and feel their feelings, its awful most of the time, as most people are very unhappy, and have many problems. It's almost comparable to the reading of people's minds, but not quite. Consequently, I go to quiet places to shop, and at the quietest times. I also tend to be alone most of the time, sit in a park, or a beach, so that I can recharge myself. I also have synaesthesia, which has several forms. Its basic definition is the production of a sense impression, relating to one sense or part of the body by stimulation of another sense, or part of the body. I will add a snippet of a poem, that can best describe what I have always been like. It's called "Life changes". Life changesI have always been susceptible to odd things, Strange phenomena, Since I was little I knew what was to be saidlook at someone and know them, know their life, I remember, I predicted over 12 plane crashes, Between the ages of 23 - 40 "it" disappeared, At some point in the ambulance service "it" reappeared, I knew things I shouldn't know, I could "feel" people's pain, Their grief, their sorrow, I knew when they hurt, and gave them comfort, And they knew, I knew.

Blue Light and Butterflies

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics.

 Our life is what our thoughts make it

 The extraordinary writings of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180), the only Roman emperor to have also been a stoic philosopher, have for centuries been praised for their wisdom, insight and guidance by leaders and great thinkers alike. Never intended for publication, Meditations are the personal notes born from a man who studied his unique position of power as emperor while trying to uphold inner balance in the chaotic world around him.

 Boldly challenging many of our biggest questions, Aurelius wrestles with the divided self, considering the complexities of human nature, rationality and moral virtue, affirming its place as one of the most timeless, significant works of philosophy to date.

Meditations

A timely book for today's world, Marcus Aurelius's Meditations explores how to endure hardship, how to cope with change and how to find something positive out of adversity. Part of the Macmillan Collector's Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is translated by A. S. L. Farquharson and features an introduction by John Sellars. The Meditations are a set of personal reflections by Marcus Aurelius. He writes about the vicissitudes of his own life and explores how to live wisely and virtuously in an unpredictable world. He was a follower of the Stoic tradition of philosophy, and one of its finest advocates, both in the clarity of his writing and in the uprightness of his life. The aphorisms show how for him, as perhaps for us all, the answer to life lies in keeping a calm and rational mind, and in refusing to be cast down or alarmed by things over which we have no control.

MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS was born on April 26, A. D. 121. His real name was M. Annius Verus, and he was sprung of a noble family which claimed descent from Numa, second King of Rome. Thus the most religious of emperors came of the blood of the most pious of early kings. His father, Annius Verus, had held high office in Rome, and his grandfather, of the same name, had been thrice Consul. Both his parents died young, but Marcus held them in loving remembrance. On his father's death Marcus was adopted by his grandfather, the consular Annius Verus, and there was deep love between these two. On the very first page of his book Marcus gratefully declares how of his grandfather he had learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. The Emperor Hadrian divined the fine character of the lad, whom he used to call not Verus but Verissimus, more Truthful than his own name. He advanced Marcus to equestrian rank when six years of age, and at the age of eight made him a member of the ancient Salian priesthood.

Extrait:A plus forte raison, chacun de nous, dans sa Sphère étroite, en est - il là; et c'est une étude équitable et utile que de consulter, avec un respect qui n'enlève rien à l'indépendance, des prédécesseurs qui ont fourni sûrement la carrière que nous avons à parcourir ainsi qu'eux, au risque de périls semblables, et dans l'espoir des mêmes triomphes. Le combat de la vie, comme disait Socrate, il y a plus de deux mille ans, est le plus beau et le plus difficile des combats. Socrate en est sorti vainqueur, nous savons à quel prix; et il peut à jamais en instruire d'autres à tenter, et à remporter peut-être, sur ses traces, d'aussi nobles victoires.

Pensées de Marc-Auréle

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Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161180). 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. Marcuss 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. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago.
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«On sent en soi-même un plaisir secret lorsqu'on parle de cet empereur ; on ne peut lire sa vie sans une espèce d'attendrissement ; tel est l'effet qu'elle produit qu'on a meilleure opinion de soi-même, parce qu'on a meilleure opinion des hommes.» Montesquieu

Pensées pour moi-même: suivi de Manuel d'Épictète

Il n'y a aucun homme si béni que certains qui se tiennent près de son lit de mort ne salueront pas l'occasion avec plaisir.

Là où un homme peut vivre, il peut aussi bien vivre.

Méprisez pas la mort, mais accueillez-le, car la nature le veut comme tout le reste.

Le bonheur de votre vie dépend de la qualité de vos pensées: donc gardez en conséquence, et prenez soin de vous divertir aucune notion impropre à la vertu et à la nature raisonnable.

Je me suis souvent demandé comment c'est que chaque homme s'aime plus que tout le reste des hommes, mais met moins de valeur à ses propres opinions sur lui-même que sur les opinions des autres.

C'est le devoir particulier de l'homme d'aimer même ceux qui le trompent.

La mort, comme la naissance, est un secret de la nature.

Si un homme me méprise, c'est son problème. Ma seule préoccupation n'est pas de faire ou de dire quoi que ce soit méritant le mépris.

Cinna souhaite sembler pauvre et est pauvre

Très peu est nécessaire pour faire une vie heureuse; Tout est en vous, dans votre façon de penser.

Contentez-vous de ce que vous êtes et ne souhaitez pas changer ; ni ne redoute ton dernier jour, ni ne le désire.

S'abstenir d'imiter est la meilleure vengeance.

Grâce aux dieux, je n'ai pas passé beaucoup de temps en grandissant avec la maîtresse de mon grand-père et préservé la fleur de ma jeunesse, en attendant le bon moment pour démontrer ma virilité.

Observez constamment que toutes choses ont lieu par le changement.

Combien de temps il sauve qui ne cherche pas à voir ce que son voisin dit ou fait ou pense.

La vie est une guerre et un séjour d'un étranger, et après la renommée est l'oubli.

Wilt-tu, alors, mon âme, ne sois jamais bon et simple et nue, plus manifeste que le corps qui t'entoure?

Il y a un changement dans toutes choses. Vous êtes vous-même soumis à un changement continu et à une certaine décomposition, et cela est commun à l'univers entier.

Il est normal de ressentir de la douleur dans vos mains et vos pieds, si vous utilisez vos pieds comme pieds et vos mains comme mains. Et pour un être humain de ressentir le stress est normal - s'il vit une vie normale. Et si c'est normal, comment peut-il être mauvais?

C'est assez. N'ajoutez pas et pourquoi de telles choses ont-elles été faites dans le monde?

La vie d'un homme est ce que ses pensées en font.

Et tu te soulageras si tu fais chaque acte de ta vie comme si c'était le dernier.

Vex pas ton esprit au cours des choses; Ils ne tiennent pas compte de ta vexation. Comment ridicule et bizarre est étonné de tout ce qui peut arriver dans la vie.

Choisissez de ne pas être blessé et vous ne vous sentirez pas blessé. Ne vous sentez pas blessé et vous ne l'avez pas été.

Si ce n'est pas juste, ne le faites pas; Si ce n'est pas vrai, ne le dites pas.

Acceptez tout ce qui vous arrive tissé dans le modèle de votre destin, car quoi de mieux adapté à vos besoins ?

Vous devez assembler votre vie vous-même - action par action.

Quant à la littérature, les vols ne peuvent lui nuire, tandis que le laps des âges augmente sa valeur.

Rien n'est mauvais qui est selon la nature.

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