The translation of the ideas and proverbs of the Stoic philosopher and Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius is presented in this first, brand-new Tarcher Cornerstone Edition, which accurately situates the writings of the philosopher-king in the lineage of the greatest religious and ethical traditions in history. The translation is remarkably current and trustworthy. There was no voice in the late antique world like that of Marcus Aurelius, the Roman emperor (121–180 CE.) His introspective reflections on the meaning of a good life have endured the ages and still have the same piercing clarity and brilliant light that we associate with the works of Thoreau, Emerson, and Shakespeare.