Which translation of Meditations should you read?

Marcus Aurelius · Koine Greek · prose

A Roman emperor’s private notebook, never meant to be published. The Greek is terse and sometimes rough, and the choice is stark: the crisp, modern, quotable Hays, which reads like it was written yesterday, or a faithful, fuller version like Hard or the public-domain Long. Same Stoic thought, very different temperature.

Our verdict

If you are reading for daily use and inspiration, Gregory Hays (2002): spare, modern, unforgettable. If you want completeness and fidelity with good notes, Robin Hard (Oxford) or Christopher Gill. George Long (1862) is the free public-domain option and still perfectly readable, just more Victorian.

Most quotable

Gregory Hays

Modern, spare, and built to live on your desk.

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Faithful with notes

Robin Hard

Fuller and more literal; the Oxford scholarly apparatus.

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Free / public domain

George Long

The classic Victorian rendering, still very readable.

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The same passage, side by side

Pick a passage and set two or three translations against each other. An answer can tell you which is “more faithful”; only this lets you hear them.

Passage

The debts of Book 1

Book 1.1 · Marcus lists what he owes each teacher; a gentle test of tone.

Showpick up to 3

George Long

1862 · prose · public domain

From my grandfather Verus I learned good morals and the government of my temper. From the reputation and remembrance of my father, modesty and a manly character. From my mother, piety and beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich. From my great-grandfather, not to have frequented public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally.

tr. George Long, 1862Buy this edition →

Meric Casaubon

1634 · prose · public domain

Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame and memory of him that begot me I have learned both shamefastness and manlike behaviour. Of my mother I have learned to be religious, and bountiful; and to forbear, not only to do, but to intend any evil; to content myself with a spare diet, and to fly all such excess as is incidental to great wealth. Of my great-grandfather, both to frequent public schools and auditories, and to get me good and able teachers at home; and that I ought not to think much, if upon such occasions, I were at excessive charges.

tr. Meric Casaubon, 1634Buy this edition →

The field at a glance

Translation	Year	Voice	Approach	Notes	In a word
George Long Prose · public domain	1862	Period	Faithful	Clean	The public-domain workhorse.	Buy →
Meric Casaubon Prose · public domain	1634	Period	Faithful	Clean	The first English Meditations, and it reads like it: rich, rolling seventeenth-century prose full of words like “shamefastness” and “manlike behaviour.” Meric Casaubon (1634) is a historical curiosity more than a daily reader, and his section numbering wanders from the modern standard, but there is a gravity to the old diction that suits an emperor musing on death.	Buy →
Gregory Hays Prose	2002	Modern	Fluid	Some notes	The reason Meditations is a bestseller again.	Buy →
Robin Hard Prose	2011	Modern	Faithful	Annotated	The scholar’s modern choice.	Buy →

Not sure? Find my translation →

Every translation in depth

George Long

1862 · public domain

ProsePeriodFaithfulMiddleClean

The public-domain workhorse. George Long’s Victorian version is faithful, dignified, and free, and it is the text behind countless cheap paperbacks and apps. It is more formal and old-fashioned than modern readers expect, with “thou” and “thee” throughout, which some find fitting for an ancient emperor and others find a barrier. If you want Marcus Aurelius at no cost and do not mind period diction, Long still serves perfectly well.

The default free text for over a century; ubiquitous online (Project Gutenberg #15877).

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Meric Casaubon

1634 · public domain

ProsePeriodFaithfulOrnateClean

The first English Meditations, and it reads like it: rich, rolling seventeenth-century prose full of words like “shamefastness” and “manlike behaviour.” Meric Casaubon (1634) is a historical curiosity more than a daily reader, and his section numbering wanders from the modern standard, but there is a gravity to the old diction that suits an emperor musing on death. Free and public domain. Come for the flavour of Jacobean English, not for a transparent modern text.

The earliest English translation; of lasting interest for reception history (Project Gutenberg #2680).

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Gregory Hays

2002 · in copyright

ProseModernFluidPlainSome notes

The reason Meditations is a bestseller again. Gregory Hays writes spare, direct, contemporary English that lands like something a person actually thought this morning. He is willing to be free where freedom serves clarity, breaking the text into crisp fragments, and his introduction is excellent. Scholars note he modernises and occasionally compresses, so it is not the version for close philological work. But as a book to read, mark up, and live with, nothing else comes close.

The Modern Library edition; the version most quoted in the modern Stoicism revival.

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Robin Hard

2011 · in copyright

ProseModernFaithfulMiddleAnnotated

The scholar’s modern choice. Robin Hard’s Oxford World’s Classics version is more literal and complete than Hays, in clear contemporary English but without the aggressive compression, and Christopher Gill’s introduction and notes are outstanding. It is the one to read if you want to be sure you are getting all of Marcus, in order, with the philosophy explained. Less quotable and less punchy than Hays, more trustworthy as a full text.

The Oxford World’s Classics Meditations; a standard reliable modern edition.

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Which book is which translation?

Publishers and retailers are careless about naming the translator. Here is which edition carries which version.

Edition	Translation	Format	Mapping
Modern Library Modern Library, 2002	Gregory Hays	Hardcover	Inferred — not yet copyright-page verified	Buy →
Oxford World’s Classics Oxford University Press, 2011 · intro Christopher Gill	Robin Hard	Paperback	Inferred — not yet copyright-page verified	Buy →

We verify the top in-print editions against the actual copyright page and show the confidence for each. Spotted a wrong mapping? Tell us.

Questions

What is the best translation of Meditations?

There is no single best, only the best for you. See the verdict at the top for our picks by priority (closest to the original, most readable, best value), then use the side-by-side passages and the quiz to choose.

How many translations of Meditations are there?

We compare 4 notable English translations here, from the public-domain classics to the current in-print versions, with the same passages set side by side.

Which Meditations translation is easiest to read?

Look at the “Voice” and “Approach” columns in the table: the most modern, most fluid version is usually the easiest first read. The quiz will point you to it based on your taste.

Are the excerpts accurate?

Public-domain excerpts are reproduced verbatim from a cited source and checked against it. In-copyright translations are quoted only as short excerpts beside a link to that edition. We name the translator and edition for every excerpt.