$149 $119
Meditations Month
$30
April is Meditations Month at Daily Stoic.
You’re invited to celebrate Marcus Aurelius’s birthday with us this month by reading Meditations alongside Ryan Holiday and our global Daily Stoic community.
Our How to Read Marcus Aurelius' Meditations Digital Guide is your ticket in! Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life—but only if you know how to read him. Whether this is your first time opening Meditations, or your fiftieth, our guide will bring the text to life in a new way—with structure, support, and Stoic community.
NOW LIVE!
Bundle & Save!
This month only, get our guide FREE when you purchase our Meditations Leatherbound Edition.
Join the LIVE Meditations Q&A with Ryan Holiday by purchasing before April 26th! This is a rare opportunity to ask him your questions and go deep into the text that’s shaped his life more than any other.
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$149 $119
Two Ways to Join Meditations Month
GET THE GUIDE
- Gain instant access to our comprehensive guide to reading Meditations
- Join the conversations all month long in our private community with other Stoics from across the globe and Ryan Holiday
- Get your invite to the LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday
Sold out
GET THE GUIDE + BOOK AND SAVE
-THIS MONTH ONLY, recieve our How to Read Meditations Digital Guide for FREE when you purchase our Leatherbound Edition of Meditations
-Includes access to the private community, and an invite to a LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday
$149 $119
Three Ways to Join Meditations Month
GET THE GUIDE
- Gain instant access to our comprehensive guide to reading Meditations
- Join the conversations all month long in our private community with other Stoics from across the globe and Ryan Holiday
- Get your invite to the LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday
Sold out
GET THE GUIDE + BOOK
AND SAVE
-THIS MONTH ONLY, recieve our How to Read Meditations Digital Guide for FREE when you purchase our Leatherbound Edition of Meditations
-Includes access to the private community, and an invite to a LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday
$149 $119
GET THE GUIDE + BOOK
AND SAVE
-$10 OFF our How to Read Meditations Digital Guide when you purchase our hardcover Meditations, featuring the Gregory Hays translation
-Includes access to the private community, and an invite to a LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday
$54 $44
In 2006, I bought my first copy of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. I was 19 years old. I didn’t know who Marcus Aurelius was (besides the old guy in Gladiator), and I certainly didn’t know whether it would be the right translation or not. I suppose it was luck that I got the Gregory Hays translation—though the Stoics would say it was fated—but what arrived would change my life.
Marcus was clearly fond of the philosopher Heraclitus (he quotes him a lot), who said that we never step in the same river twice. Because we are always changing. It’s equally true that we never read the same book twice—because while the contents don’t change, we do. Our circumstances change. The world changes.
I still have that first copy of Meditations. The cover is taped back on. Every page is marked or folded. Nearly every passage has something noted or underlined. And I've collected dozens of editions since then—leatherbound, hardcover, and paperback. I've read every English translation I can get my hands on. I’m technically what Stephen Marche calls a “centireader”—reading Marcus Aurelius well over one hundred times—but actually, I’ve never read the same Meditations twice. Each time, I notice new things. A passage I highlighted before now strikes me for a different reason. A line that once seemed irrelevant to my life suddenly describes something I’m going through perfectly. Something I thought I understood turns out to seemingly mean something else entirely.
In Book 6, Marcus writes, “Fight to be the person philosophy tried to make you.”
This is a lifelong fight we are in. Marcus even talks about it towards the end of Meditations. He asks himself, How old are you? How much longer are you going to keep falling short? When are you going to get this together? It was the battle of his life. Up until the day he died, he was struggling with this. But he always kept fighting.
And that’s what we have to do. That’s why I keep reading and rereading Meditations.
Fight for those four virtues, those “touchstones of goodness.”
Fight for that part of you that wants to be good, courageous, disciplined, and wise.
Fight to be the person philosophy wants you to be.
— Ryan Holiday
The Daily Stoic Leatherbound Edition of Meditations
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Some books you read once. Others you carry with you forever.
This premium edition of the Meditations, exclusive to The Daily Stoic, is handmade by a bespoke bookbinder in the UK. Designed to stand the test of time, be read over and over, and be passed down from generation to generation.
What makes this edition so great?
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Features the Gregory Hays translation, revered for its clear, modern language and readability
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Premium 80gsm Munken cream paper
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Vinyl endsheets and a sewn ribbon to mark your page
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All-new illustrations for each section of the book
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Gold-foiled genuine leather cover, spine and back cover
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Custom gold-foiled slip box for safe storage
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The Life of Marcus Aurelius biography by Ryan Holiday
This is the perfect complement to the guide—or a meaningful gift for any Stoic in your life.
NOTE: The purpose of the outer box is ultimately to protect the book in transit. If the box is slightly damaged in transit, it is serving its purpose. Damaged book boxes are not refund or exchange eligible.
Our Guide to Reading Meditations (The Right Way)
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Reading Marcus Aurelius can change your life—but only if you know how to read him.
That’s why we created the How to Read Meditations Guide—a complete, 11-module course that shows you how to understand the book and put it into practice.
Here’s what’s included when you get the guide:
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FOR MEDITATIONS MONTH ONLY - A private community of readers going through the guide with you
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FOR MEDITATIONS MONTH ONLY - invite to a LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday to ask him your questions and go deep into the text that’s shaped his life more than any other
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11 in-depth modules you can work through at your own pace
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Video & podcast lessons from Ryan Holiday, breaking down key passages and life lessons
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Expert commentary and additional material from top philosophers and thinkers
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Journaling prompts and reflection exercises to deepen your engagement with the text
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This isn’t a course. It’s a practice. It’s a way of living.
*All courses and challenges are non-refundable
The Hardcover Edition of Meditations
Sold out
The timeless book of practical and philosophical wisdom for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life, available in hardcover.
- Featuring the Gregory Hays translation
- Includes the Foreword by bestselling author Ryan Holiday
- Introduction by Gregory Hays that outlines Marcus’s life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style and construction of the Meditations, and the work’s ongoing influence
SAVE 20% when you buy the hardcover edition of Meditations AND our How to Read Marcus Aurelis' Meditations Guide.
In 2006, I bought my first copy of the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. I was 19 years old. I didn’t know who Marcus Aurelius was (besides the old guy in Gladiator), and I certainly didn’t know whether it would be the right translation or not. I suppose it was luck that I got the Gregory Hays translation—though the Stoics would say it was fated—but what arrived would change my life.
Marcus was clearly fond of the philosopher Heraclitus (he quotes him a lot), who said that we never step in the same river twice. Because we are always changing. It’s equally true that we never read the same book twice—because while the contents don’t change, we do. Our circumstances change. The world changes.
I still have that first copy of Meditations. The cover is taped back on. Every page is marked or folded. Nearly every passage has something noted or underlined. I’m technically what Stephen Marche calls a “centireader”—reading Marcus Aurelius well over one hundred times—but actually, I’ve never read the same Meditations twice. Each time, I notice new things. A passage I highlighted before now strikes me for a different reason. A line that once seemed irrelevant to my life suddenly describes something I’m going through perfectly. Something I thought I understood turns out to seemingly mean something else entirely.
In Book 6, Marcus writes, “Fight to be the person philosophy tried to make you.”
This is a lifelong fight we are in. Marcus even talks about it towards the end of Meditations. He asks himself, How old are you? How much longer are you going to keep falling short? When are you going to get this together? It was the battle of his life. Up until the day he died, he was struggling with this. But he always kept fighting.
And that’s what we have to do. That’s why I keep reading and rereading Meditations.
Fight for those four virtues, those “touchstones of goodness.”
Fight for that part of you that wants to be good, courageous, disciplined, and wise.
Fight to be the person philosophy wants you to be.
— Ryan Holiday