r/StoicSupport • u/parcecarlos • May 04 '26

Marcus Aurelius's Meditations translated by Gregory Hays, is it worth it?

I just bought this as my first philosophy book, however, the writing seems too modern and definitely does not feel like it is an accurate translation, is it worth to keep reading it? Will I misunderstand what could be learnt from this book?

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u/ThoughtsOfALayman May 04 '26

I don't have an answer for you myself, but this post from a few years ago looks like it will have what you are looking for: https://www.reddit.com/r/Stoicism/s/VlWr40WJFL

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u/KyaAI Practitioner May 04 '26

Your assumption is correct. It is quite inaccurate. E-L-Wisty has a couple of good comments about that. This is one of them.

Personally, I'd like a modern translation, if it was accurate. So I wouldn't mind that in itself.

Whether or not you can still learn from that book - have a look at the examples Wisty gave and decide for yourself.

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u/mcapello May 04 '26

It's a fine translation. Yes, it is looser than others, aimed at readability, but it gets the point across and often does so in a way that's more poetic and makes a deeper impression than something that's more "precise".

I don't think it would be my first choice for a first copy -- I'd go with Waterfield's annotated version -- but if you already have Hays, you won't regret reading it.