Meditations
Read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius in Italian 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
Ho imparato buoni valori morali da mio nonno Vero.
I learned good morals from my grandfather Verus.
Ho anche imparato da lui a controllare il mio carattere.
I also learned how to control my temper from him.
Mio padre aveva un buon nome.
My father had a good name.
La gente lo ricordava bene.
People remembered him well.
Da lui ho imparato a essere modesto.
From him, I learned to be modest.
Ho anche imparato a essere forte e coraggioso, come un vero uomo.
I also learned to be strong and brave, like a real man.
Da mia madre, ho imparato a essere gentile e premuroso.
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