Meditations
Read Meditations by Marcus Aurelius in Spanish and English, a parallel text graded reader with audio. Available in CEFR levels A2, B1, and B2.
About this book
Written by lamplight in a campaign camp, among the Quadi by the river Granua, Meditations is the private notebook of a Roman emperor talking to himself. Marcus Aurelius never meant these pages for readers. He opens the first book by settling his debts, cataloguing what he owes to a grandfather who taught self-control, a mother who taught piety and plain living, teachers who first turned him toward philosophy, and a father whose steady temperament he describes at length, trait after unhurried trait.
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Mi abuelo Vero me enseñó buenos valores.
My grandfather Verus taught me good morals.
También me enseñó a controlar mi carácter.
He also taught me how to control my temper.
Mi padre tenía un buen nombre y lo recuerdo bien.
My father had a good name and I remember him well.
De él, aprendí a ser modesto.
From him, I learned to be modest.
También aprendí a tener un carácter fuerte y viril.
I also learned to have a strong, manly character.
De mi madre, aprendí a ser amable y cariñoso.
From my mother, I learned to be kind and caring.
También aprendí a evitar no solo las malas acciones, sino también los malos pensamientos.
I also learned to avoid not just bad actions, but bad thoughts too.