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Discourses and Selected Writings

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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

This Penguin Classic is performed by Richard Goulding, best known for Me Before You, The Iron Lady and The Windsors.

Epictetus, a Greek stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicropolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. Together with the Enchiridion, a manual of his main ideas, and the fragments collected here, The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature. In this personal, practical guide to the ethics of stoicism and moral self-improvement, Epictetus tackles questions of freedom and imprisonment, illness and fear, family, friendship and love, and leaves an intriguing document of daily life in the classical world.

Public Domain (P)2021 Penguin Audio Ethics & Morality Greek & Roman History Philosophy Stoicism Happiness Thought-Provoking
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Fantastic lively and well read version. I will definitely listen again. It makes this stoic epic very accessible

A great classic really well read

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I love it! Very soothing for my mind, and I regularly listen to this treasure of common sense. Highly recommend.

Logical and comforting

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Enjoyable listen with some light hearted takes on stoicism which are excellently relayed by the narrator. Particularly enjoyed Epictetus’s simple but effective narrative which for a beginner I believe was easier to grasp than Marcus Aurelius Meditations.

Excellent introduction to Stoicism

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This book demonstrates how we can have full control over our actions, emotions and thoughts. We can either choose to act in violence, have negative thoughts or illicit emotions in response to harsh circumstances.

We can control our actions

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A wonderful book and essential reading for anyone interested in Stoicism or philosophy in general. Epictetus has a lot of valuable wisdom to dispense and does so in a clear way (unlike some other philosophers)
It's clear Epictetus has a strong desire for his Stoic philosophy to be practical, not simply theoretical. Anyone listening to this would do well to put what he says into practice.
It has to be read with it firmly in mind that Epictetus was a Roman, an ancient civilisation with a different culture and understanding of the cosmos.
It's very well narrated too.

Indispensible Wisdom

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