blog.jedchristiansen.com » Meditations http://blog.jedchristiansen.com Livin' the dream Wed, 18 Aug 2010 21:48:57 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.1 Today’s quote from “Meditations” http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2009/04/13/todays-quote-from-meditations/ http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2009/04/13/todays-quote-from-meditations/#comments Mon, 13 Apr 2009 23:03:12 +0000 jed http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/?p=278 [...]]]> Last fall I started blogging what I hoped might become a series of posts based on reading “Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius. (Check it out here.)

Well, I just finished with a massive project for my MBA (thus the lack of posting recently) and am enjoying a week off before classes start again. So I thought it would be a great time to put out a quick post or two to re-start this series. Here’s another great quote from the book:

Just because you find the work too hard to do, don’t leap to the conclusion that it is humanly impossible; but if the work can and should be done by a man, then consider yourself capable of doing it.

-Meditations, Book Six, #19

]]> http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2009/04/13/todays-quote-from-meditations/feed/ 0 Today’s thoughts http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2008/09/14/todays-thoughts/ http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2008/09/14/todays-thoughts/#comments Sun, 14 Sep 2008 14:26:51 +0000 jed http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/?p=181 [...]]]> I mentioned in an earlier post that I’ve been reading and re-reading Meditations, the diary/book written by Marcus Aurelius.

Lately I’ve gone back to keeping it in my bag more often and reading bits of it on the Tube/train each day. Every time I read it I’m reminded of things that I want to do in my life. Today’s thought?

Tossing aside everything else, hold fast to these few truths. We live only in the present, in this fleet-footed moment. The rest is lost and behind us, or ahead of us and may never be found. [...]

-Meditations, Book Three, #10.

]]> http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2008/09/14/todays-thoughts/feed/ 0 Meditations – the start of a series http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2008/07/27/meditations-the-start-of-a-series/ http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/2008/07/27/meditations-the-start-of-a-series/#comments Sun, 27 Jul 2008 23:25:56 +0000 jed http://blog.jedchristiansen.com/?p=141 [...]]]> I picked up a book recently that’s been both a fascinating and inspirational read: “Meditations,” by Marcus Aurelius. (This book is the translation I actually own, which is a bit newer and has an unnecessarily pompous title.)

I’ve found it a great little book to keep with my bag as I ride the Tube into work. There are a lot of short but important thoughts that help remind me of what’s important in life and what I really need to be focusing on.

To be fair, it’s also clear it was written over 2000 years ago, so certain bits aren’t very applicable. Some of it is on the metaphysical side, some on the nature of physics, etc. But so much of it is a leader meditating on how to be a better person, and still rings very true today.

I’m going to periodically post quotes from this book; things that I find interesting or important. Perhaps you’ll find them as intriguing as I do!

Today’s closing quote:

Claim your right to say or do anything that accords with nature, and pay no attention to the chatter of your critics. If it is good to say or do something, then it is even better to be criticized for having said or done it. Others have their own consciences to guide them and will follow their own lights. Don’t be gazing after them, but keep your eyes on the straight path ahead of you, [...]

-Meditations, Book Five, #3

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