Episode · The Daily Stoic · 2026-05-03
Books mentioned on 40 Hidden Lessons From Marcus Aurelius' Meditations
You think you’ve read Meditations, but the deeper truths in Marcus Aurelius’ private writings often reveal themselves only after years of revisiting them. In this episode, Ryan shares the hidden lessons he missed on his first, second, and even tenth read and why this book keeps giving you new insights even years later.
Ryan Holiday discussed Meditations by Aurelius Marcus.
Books mentioned, in the order they came up
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Meditations
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius is a profound collection of personal reflections and Stoic philosophy written by the Roman emperor.
Discussed“This is Marcus Aurelius's Meditations, the private thoughts of the most powerful man in the world. But there are secrets, there are lessons inside this book that went way over my head.”
Where to get it
Other mentions in this episode (2) — ad reads, self-promotion and passing references, never counted
Plugged Meditations
“You have to understand what he meant, where he was coming from, why he would have been saying this to fully understand them, which is why over the last couple years we developed this deep dive into Marcus Aurelius' Meditations.”
Plugged Meditations
“A few years ago, I bought the rights to publish the Gregory Hayes translation of Meditations in a leather edition. Like my my book had been falling apart, my paperback.”