Interesting Perspective

A collection of quotes and sayings on stoic philosophy.
At times this book felt a little impactical and outdated other times it provided quality information.
The believes are neither good nor bad if you see it just as it is.
Simplicity at it's finest really.
A how to manual for living a practical tranquil life.
Examples that aren't difficult to understand on social manners, taking care of our bodies, and not stressing about things we can't control.
By practicing these teachings we are less likely to be vulnerable to undesired emotions and chaos.
I requested this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
I think that the pleasant narration and thought provoking POV make this book worth listening to.

3 people found this helpful

Peace of mind from the 2nd century

Any additional comments?

tl;dr: seeking peace of mind? Listen to this. Not once, and not quickly. Really listen.

"It's not even an hour long, how great can it be? I'm glad I got it for free, who would pay for this?" Thought naive me.

Wikipedia calls The Enchiridion "a short manual of Stoic ethical advice" which is more than an understatement. This is a distillation of how to be at peace through Stoicism, a Greco-Roman philosophy which is superficially identical to Buddhism.

The Enchiridion lays out a set of simple principles and examples which would take a decade of dedication to master, if not a lifetime. Every few sentences could be their own chapter or their own book or their own set of books. In fact, you could pick any one of these over 50 chapters and find a self-help book on the shelves right now dedicated to that single chapter's idea. And that 300-page self-help book would swear they found the one secret to inner peace.

Not a single moment is difficult to understand; only difficult to live out. The arcane language has been stripped away and I imagine that this plain language is how it was intended to be heard long ago. The slow, deliberate narration is exactly what this kind of text deserves.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

2 people found this helpful

Really love Sprenger

Having already listened to another audio book version of The Enchiridion I have to say that even though I did enjoy listening to that version, I enjoyed this one better. Mostly James Harris's adaptation of the original works, makes for a smoother understand of the topics. The over all message wasn't lost in the words trying to describe them. With this modern twist anyone can listen to this and understand what Epictetus was trying to say.

Jason Sprenger does an amazing job of narrating. This comes across more as a grand speech than a philosophic manual of how to live, which is a complement. I have come across so many classic novels turned into audio books and the person reading them makes them into a boring lecture or tries way to hard to give an impression of the author. Sprenger gives this modern twist just the right amount of enthusiasm to keep you entertained.

If you would like to understand The Enchiridion or want to try and apply it to your modern life currently, then this adapted work by James Harris is a must add to your audio book library.

1 person found this helpful

Good, but not for beginner Stoics

I enjoyed this book, but as a fairly new Stoic I found a lot of it hard to understand. I got this version because it said it was adapted for the modern reader. That's true in terms of the language used (it's all in modern common English) , but there is little insight into what was meant by certain things. It was like reading the Bible and trying to apply it to your life... it's not an easy thing to do.

Enlightement Though Time

Got more out of this than most of the other self improvement books. Short and to the point. Recommend

Good!

Good narration and much easier to understand adaptation for this classic.

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. The fact that I was gifted this book had no influence over my opinion of it

He was ignorant of my other faults

The Enchiridion is a short collection of Epictetus' writings, full of practical advice for daily life. First published almost two millennia ago, most of it is still straightforward and still directly applicable. It does have a couple scenarios that are a bit dated since there aren't many gladiators these days and I don't own a horse, but the message is still understandable. I was a little worried about listening to an audiobook of this nature, as it is just a collection of relatively unconnected thoughts and could seem disjointed, but the narrator did a perfect job of keeping the pacing natural and smooth. I was provided this audiobook in exchange for my honest review. My favorite piece of advice from this book was this: If anyone tells you that a certain person has spoken in a bad way about you, don’t make excuses about what has been said, but answer "He was ignorant of my other faults, otherwise he would have mentioned those also."

Deep and Informative

If you could sum up The Enchiridion in three words, what would they be?

Deep, Informative, Practical

Any additional comments?

This review copy audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost."

Good advice for daily living

Where does The Enchiridion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

After the book of Proverbs (by King Solomon) this is my favorite so far about wise advice for daily living.

Which scene was your favorite?

31 said something like this - Understanding the essence of believing in God lies in forming the right opinions concerning God as existing and governing the universe fairly and well. Give yourself the resolution to obey God, to yield to God and willingly follow Him among all events, knowing you are ruled by the most perfect wisdom because in this way you will never find fault in God, nor accuse Him of neglecting you...

Any additional comments?

I received this audio-book free for an honest review by the author, narrator, or publisher. Thank you!!!

Great intro into Stoicism...

Where does The Enchiridion rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

For the topic of Stoicism, it is near the top...

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

I had just listened to The Enchiridion which was highly enlightening, but this version was really more useful due to the adaptation for the contemporary reader. Not that the other was not understandable, but this was easier to relate to.

Which character – as performed by Jason Sprenger – was your favorite?

There is only one character if you will, so this is not really relevant.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Wow...there are too many to really choose, but one thing that Epictetus brings out is being satisfied with what your life holds and finding peace in that. That is very powerful and it takes the pressure off of a person somewhat. Being satisfied with ones own self is a powerful and freeing way to live.

Any additional comments?

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.