Quick Answer: Choosing an audiobook of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius's Meditations requires checking one detail that trips up thousands of buyers: the translator. Dozens of inexpensive audiobooks use archaic 17th- or 19th-century public-domain translations ("Thee, Thou, and Thy") that obscure Aurelius's spare, direct Greek notes to himself. For modern listeners, the 2002 Gregory Hays translation—narrated by Duncan Steen—provides clear, contemporary English that sounds like a living human speaking across eighteen centuries.
Composed in Greek during military campaigns along the Danube river frontier in the 170s CE, Meditations was never intended for public publication. Divided into twelve "Books," the text after Book 1 (where Marcus thanks his family and teachers for specific character traits) consists of hundreds of standalone reminders—some a single sentence long, others a full page—on mortality, duty, patience with difficult people, and focusing strictly on what lies within one's own control.
How to Listen to an Aphoristic Journal in Audio
Crucial Listening Tip: Note that the first ~90 minutes of the Recorded Books / Modern Library audiobook consists of translator Gregory Hays's scholarly historical introduction. If you want to jump straight to Marcus Aurelius's words on your first listen and return to the historical introduction afterward, check the chapter markers in your player.
Verify the Gregory Hays / Duncan Steen Edition
Because multiple translations share the title Meditations, confirm that Gregory Hays is listed as translator and Duncan Steen as narrator on the product page.