Meditations
Read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius in French and English, a parallel text graded reader with audio. Available in CEFR levels A2, B1, and B2.
About this book
Written by lamplight in a campaign camp, among the Quadi by the river Granua, Meditations is the private notebook of a Roman emperor talking to himself. Marcus Aurelius never meant these pages for readers. He opens the first book by settling his debts, cataloguing what he owes to a grandfather who taught self-control, a mother who taught piety and plain living, teachers who first turned him toward philosophy, and a father whose steady temperament he describes at length, trait after unhurried trait.
Available editions
Read a sample
J’ai appris les bonnes manières grâce à mon grand-père Vérus.
I learned good morals from my grandfather Verus.
J’ai aussi appris avec lui à contrôler ma colère.
I also learned how to control my temper from him.
Mon père avait une bonne réputation.
My father had a good name.
Les gens avaient de très bons souvenirs de lui.
People remembered him well.
Grâce à lui, j’ai appris à être modeste.
From him, I learned to be modest.
J’ai aussi appris à être fort et courageux, comme un vrai homme.
I also learned to be strong and brave, like a real man.
De ma mère, j’ai appris à être gentil et attentionné.
From my mother, I learned to be kind and caring.
History
- Written by Marcus Aurelius in Ancient Greek
- Adapted by Line by Line Publishing in 2026