The Meditations has long been revered as a cornerstone of Stoic philosophy. However, because it was his personal journal, its prose is dense and unorganized. This unique edition reorganizes Aurelius' wisdom thematically across twelve Stoic principles — from courage to memento mori — and pairs each one with provocative, bold artwork. It’s a great gift for anyone new to Stoicism or seeking a fresh perspective on this foundational classic.
THE TRANSLATION
To strike a balance between simplicity and scope, we opted to use a careful combination of Farquharson and Long, with a few judicious edits for clarity. The resulting text retains the poetry of the original without losing its punch and immediacy.
3 books for $30 — Use code 3BOOKS at checkout
DETAILS
A little wonderful, pocket sized Meditations, it's beautiful ❤️
This picture and message stands out to me and is perfect for my office wall. Quick shipping and seller sent a few other items with package.
Great service item as advertised
Surpassed expectations! 🤎
Amazing quality! 10/10 best edition !
I bought this book for my brother and he loved it - beautifully made! Thank you!
Very nice, abbreviated version of Meditations. My 15 year old son enjoys it very much. Lovely to look at.
Gifted this to my husband and he loved the book, great format and high quality.
Amazing book, shipped and arrived quickly
Decent quality and typeface, but a few qualms. Used the lower case ‘s’ in the proper nouns Stoicism and Stoics many times. And also refered to Marcus Aurelius as ‘Aurelius’ rather than ‘Marcus’ as is customary. Haven’t found any problems with translations yet, but just received item. The earlier discussed mistakes make me wary of accuracy.
Fast shipping ! Beautiful small book ! I highly recommend this Etsy shop !
A beautiful little bedside book.
The Meditations
Quick feedback to my questions, quality product and arrived on time. I’d recommend
Great quality, pocket inspiration.
Nicely printed, packed & shipped with care. Highly recommend Obvious State
Perfect for my husband. I nice addition to his library.
Its a wonderful book. The shipping g was very quick despite the apps propensity of sending the item to the billing address and not the shipping address.
Nice edition
Lovely books, I am so pleased with them
Lovely book, gave as a gift, recipient was thrilled.
The book is lovely. The shipping was delayed but that was because of the post office, not anything the seller could control
It was a good little pocket-sized book with neat illustrations. While it’s a bit more organized in terms of theme than the normal book, I still prefer the regular edition (Hays Translation).
High quality printing, excellent art!
As described.
Adorable art work, small book but really well made
Wonderful as gifts. Love these books
Enjoyed by people I gave them to!
I love all the stuff you guys do
Note from the Preface: The Meditations is not an outward facing political treatise, but a deeply personal calling to discover what a well-disciplined mind can accomplish in the face of adversity.
Thanks for the quick shipment!
Beautiful artwork - great gift!
My librarian daughter will love this.
So beautiful even though it’s a paperback.
Obvious State is a creative studio and publisher founded by Nichole and Evan Robertson in 2011.
We make bold, illustrated editions and art drawn from the classics.
Our books and prints are available in our shop and in bookstores and boutiques nationwide.
Our work has been featured at The Folger Shakespeare Library, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, The American Writers Museum, The Emily Dickinson Museum, The Library of Congress, The Getty Museum, The Museum of Contemporary Art and more.
Every piece is illustrated by Evan Robertson — a single artistic vision applied to some of the greatest works ever written.
Provocative visuals paired with punctuated language, full of surprising visual metaphors, subtext, and insider nudges.
Our pocket editions are portable art objects made to collect, share, and inspire moments of quiet reflection in an overstimulated digital world.
We’re drawn to language that has stood the test of time, insights that strike a chord, poetry that stretches the imagination, and philosophy that prompts critical thinking.
