“Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius
1 of 3 “main books” on Stoicism, written by arguably the best Roman Emperor, the closest any person ever came to embodying Plato’s philosopher-king.
The book inspired Adam Smith, Goethe, Tolstoy, Wen Jiabao, Frederick the Great, among many others. Bill Clinton reads and re-reads it so many times (it’s his favourite book), it’s one of the inspirations for Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violence principles, and it’s the book that kept Nelson Mandela’s sanity during his 27 years in prison.
It’s one of a kind book, and yes it’s that good.
EDWIN SETIADI 