Meditations vs Self-knowledge: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Ethics, Conduct of life, Early works to 1800
Meditations
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Meditations is a collection of personal reflections and notes by the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius (reigned 161 to 180 AD), offering a profound look into the philosophy of Stoicism. It was never intended for…
Self-knowledge
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published 1813. covered in brown (leather or paper?) Hardbound, abt 51/2 by 31/2" written in old fashioned type; f's look like s's
Side by side
The verdict
- Readers rate Meditations highest: Meditations 4.3 · Self-knowledge 3.8.
- Meditations has the widest readership — 378526 ratings behind its score.
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Scores by source
| Meditations | Self-knowledge | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | 4.3 (378526) | — |
| Hardcover | 4.2 (741) | — |
| Google Books | 4.5 (2) | — |
| Apple Books | 4.5 (298) | — |
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Reception
| Meditations | Self-knowledge | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 378526 | 5 |
| Editions | 643 | 96 |
| Film adaptations | 1 | 1 |
| Want to read | 675230 | — |
| Reading it now | 122246 | — |
| Written reviews | 22394 | — |
| Wikipedia attention | 31655 | 41 |
| Pages | 214 | 236 |
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Questions readers ask
Which is rated higher: Meditations or Self-knowledge?
Meditations has the higher combined reader rating across sources (Meditations 4.3/5, Self-knowledge 3.8/5).
Which is shorter to read: Meditations or Self-knowledge?
Meditations is the quickest read. Estimated at 225 words per minute: Meditations (214 pages, ≈ 3 h 58 m); Self-knowledge (236 pages, ≈ 4 h 22 m).
Which is harder to read: Meditations or Self-knowledge?
Estimated difficulty, based on era, reader shelves and length — Meditations: Demanding; Self-knowledge: Demanding.