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The Practicing Stoic
- Narrated by: John Lescault
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
- Categories: Literature & Fiction, Essays
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
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- Narrated by: Donald Robertson
- Length: 8 hrs and 30 mins
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Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the final famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves stories of Marcus’ life from the Roman histories together with explanations of Stoicism - its philosophy and its psychology - to enlighten today’s listeners. He discusses Stoic techniques for coping with problems such as irrational fears, bad habits, anger, pain, and illness.
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This book got me through a difficult time.
- By Anonymous User on 17-04-19
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Live Like a Stoic
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The answers to our daily worries and anxieties - big or small - lie at the heart of Stoic philosophy. Live Like a Stoic is the essential guide to help us live the good life. It offers a yearlong programme of 52 weekly exercises aimed at mastering an array of real-life troubles. Full of practical lessons and sections for journaling, it provides all the tools needed to overcome any life obstacles we might face.
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Great introduction and resource
- By LC on 10-08-20
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Letters from a Stoic
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- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
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Seeing self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', the Stoic philosophy called for the restraint of animal instincts and the importance of upright ethical ideals and virtuous living. Seneca's writings are a profound, powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.
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Excellent narration
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The Enchiridion & Discourses
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The Enchiridion is the famous manual of ethical advice given in the second century by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Born to a Greek slave, Epictetus grew up in the environment of the Roman Empire and, having been released from bonds of slavery, became a stoic in the tradition of its originators, Zeno (third Century BCE) and Seneca (first century CE).
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Eternal wisdom, exciting performance
- By Amazon Customer on 14-01-18
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The Stoic Challenge
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Some people bounce back in response to setbacks; others break. We often think that these responses are hardwired, but fortunately this is not the case. Stoicism offers us an alternative approach. Plumbing the wisdom of one of the most popular and successful schools of thought from ancient Rome, philosopher William B. Irvine teaches us to turn any challenge on its head. The Stoic Challenge, then, is the ultimate guide to improving your quality of life through tactics developed by ancient Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to Epictetus.
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Not quite what I was hoping for
- By Liz on 17-05-20
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How to Be a Stoic
- Ancient Wisdom for Modern Living
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- Narrated by: Peter Coleman
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Stoicism teaches us to acknowledge our emotions, reflect on what causes them and redirect them for our own good. Whenever we worry about how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal seems more elusive. Massimo Pigliucci explores this remarkable philosophy and how its wisdom can be applied to our everyday lives in the quest for meaning. He shows how Stoicism teaches us the importance of a person's character, integrity and compassion.
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a very useful introduction to a worthwhile subject
- By Amazon Customer on 13-11-20
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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
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- Narrated by: Donald Robertson
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Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the final famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves stories of Marcus’ life from the Roman histories together with explanations of Stoicism - its philosophy and its psychology - to enlighten today’s listeners. He discusses Stoic techniques for coping with problems such as irrational fears, bad habits, anger, pain, and illness.
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This book got me through a difficult time.
- By Anonymous User on 17-04-19
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The answers to our daily worries and anxieties - big or small - lie at the heart of Stoic philosophy. Live Like a Stoic is the essential guide to help us live the good life. It offers a yearlong programme of 52 weekly exercises aimed at mastering an array of real-life troubles. Full of practical lessons and sections for journaling, it provides all the tools needed to overcome any life obstacles we might face.
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Great introduction and resource
- By LC on 10-08-20
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Letters from a Stoic
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- By: Seneca
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- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
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Seeing self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', the Stoic philosophy called for the restraint of animal instincts and the importance of upright ethical ideals and virtuous living. Seneca's writings are a profound, powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.
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Excellent narration
- By SteveO on 31-01-20
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The Enchiridion & Discourses
- By: Epictetus
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- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
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The Enchiridion is the famous manual of ethical advice given in the second century by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Born to a Greek slave, Epictetus grew up in the environment of the Roman Empire and, having been released from bonds of slavery, became a stoic in the tradition of its originators, Zeno (third Century BCE) and Seneca (first century CE).
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Eternal wisdom, exciting performance
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The Stoic Challenge
- A Philosopher's Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient
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- Length: 4 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Some people bounce back in response to setbacks; others break. We often think that these responses are hardwired, but fortunately this is not the case. Stoicism offers us an alternative approach. Plumbing the wisdom of one of the most popular and successful schools of thought from ancient Rome, philosopher William B. Irvine teaches us to turn any challenge on its head. The Stoic Challenge, then, is the ultimate guide to improving your quality of life through tactics developed by ancient Stoics, from Marcus Aurelius and Seneca to Epictetus.
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Not quite what I was hoping for
- By Liz on 17-05-20
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How to Be a Stoic
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- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrated by: Peter Coleman
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Stoicism teaches us to acknowledge our emotions, reflect on what causes them and redirect them for our own good. Whenever we worry about how to be happy, we are worrying about how to lead a good life. No goal seems more elusive. Massimo Pigliucci explores this remarkable philosophy and how its wisdom can be applied to our everyday lives in the quest for meaning. He shows how Stoicism teaches us the importance of a person's character, integrity and compassion.
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a very useful introduction to a worthwhile subject
- By Amazon Customer on 13-11-20
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On the Shortness of Life, On the Happy Life, and Other Essays
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As former tutor and adviser to Emperor Nero, philosopher and statesman Seneca was acutely aware of how short life can be - his own life was cut short when the emperor ordered him to commit suicide (for alleged involvement in a conspiracy). And Seneca proved true to his words - his lifelong avowal to Stoicism enabled him to conduct himself with dignity to the end. During his rich and busy life, Seneca wrote a series of essays that have advised and enriched the lives of generations down to the present day.
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becomes irrelevant
- By Amazon Customer on 03-03-20
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Lives of the Stoics
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- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
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For millennia, Stoicism has been the ancient philosophy that attracts those who seek greatness, from athletes to politicians and everyone in between. And no wonder: its embrace of self-mastery, virtue and indifference to that which we cannot control has much to offer those grappling with today's chaotic world. But who were the Stoics? In this book, Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman offer a fresh approach to understanding Stoicism through the lives of the people who practised it.
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Excellent as always
- By Philip on 25-09-20
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A Guide to the Good Life
- The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
- By: William B. Irvine
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
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One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient Rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life.
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To the non-stoic reviewers...
- By Anonymous User on 20-01-20
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Lessons in Stoicism
- What Ancient Philosophers Teach Us About How to Live
- By: John Sellars
- Narrated by: Rupert Farley
- Length: 1 hr and 52 mins
- Unabridged
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In Lessons in Stoicism, philosopher John Sellars weaves together the key ideas of the three great Roman Stoics - Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius - with snapshots of their fascinating lives, to show us how their ideas can help us today. In vivid prose, Sellars shows how the works of these three Stoics have inspired people ever since, speaking as they do to some of the perennial issues that face anyone trying to navigate their way through life.
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Helpful and inspiring
- By ruralidyll on 28-01-20
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Meditations
- Penguin Classics
- By: Marcus Aurelius, Diskin Clay, Martin Hammond
- Narrated by: Richard Armitage
- Length: 6 hrs and 18 mins
- Unabridged
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Written in Greek by an intellectual Roman emperor without any intention of publication, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius offer a wide range of fascinating spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the leader struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Spanning from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the question of virtue, human rationality, the nature of the gods and Aurelius's own emotions.
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Ancient Wisdom Which Still Resonates
- By bookylady on 05-11-19
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The Moral Epistles
- 124 Letters to Lucilius
- By: Seneca the Younger
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
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Towards the end of his life, Seneca the Younger (c4 BCE-65 CE) began a correspondence with a friend in Sicily, later collected under the title The Moral Epistles. In these 124 letters, Seneca expresses, in a wise, steady and calm manner, the philosophy by which he lived - derived essentially from the Stoics. The letters deal with a variety of specific topics - often eminently practical - such as 'On Saving Time', 'On the Terrors of Death', 'On True and False Friendships', 'On Brawn and Brains' and 'On Old Age and Death'.
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excellent, very interesting
- By Amazon Kunde on 15-10-20
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The Beginner's Guide to Stoicism
- Tools for Emotional Resilience & Positivity
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- Narrated by: Steve Rimpici
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Being a stoic means embracing positivity and self-control through the ability to accept the uncertainty of outcomes. With this stoicism guide, the beginner stoic will learn how to take charge of their emotions on the path to sustained happiness and satisfaction. This easy-to-navigate stoicism guide gives you the emotional tools needed to let go of the things you can’t control and find joy in what you have.
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First book on Stoicism I've listened to
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The Stoic Guide to a Happy Life
- 53 Brief Lessons for Living
- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrated by: Peter Coleman
- Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins
- Unabridged
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Learn how to survive life's hardships and enjoy its pleasures with the modern stoic mindset. In this enlightening audiobook, philosopher Massimo Pigliucci offers a thoughtful and modern reinterpretation of Epictetus' 53 lessons for living a good life. Drawing on the ancient wisdom of the Stoics, this is a comforting guide that will help you reclaim the power of your emotional response and let go of the things you can't control.
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Meditations
- By: Marcus Aurelius, George Long - translator, Duncan Steen - translator
- Narrated by: Duncan Steen
- Length: 5 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
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One of the most significant books ever written by a head of state, the Meditations are a collection of philosophical thoughts by the Emperor Marcus Aurelius (121 - 180 ce). Covering issues such as duty, forgiveness, brotherhood, strength in adversity and the best way to approach life and death, the Meditations have inspired thinkers, poets and politicians since their first publication more than 500 years ago. Today, the book stands as one of the great guides and companions - a cornerstone of Western thought.
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A matter of life and death.
- By Paschal on 07-01-17
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The Daily Stoic
- 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
- By: Ryan Holiday, Stephen Hanselman
- Narrated by: Brian Holsopple
- Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
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Why have history's greatest minds - from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson along with today's top performers, from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities - embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise. The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations.
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Great content, TERRIBLE audio delivery
- By shoesshoesshoes on 23-11-16
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The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness
- By: Jonas Salzgeber
- Narrated by: David Angelo
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
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Where can you find joy? Gain strength? How should we face our fears? Deal with the death of a loved one? And what about those reoccurring depressing thoughts? While traditional schooling doesn’t address such questions, it’s exactly what ancient schools of philosophy were all about: They taught you how to live. Even though these schools don’t exist anymore, you and I and most people are in as much need of a philosophy that guides us through life as we ever were. This compelling, highly actionable guide shows you how to deal more effectively with whatever life throws at you.
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The narrator will drive you mad!
- By Nicky h. on 22-02-20
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How to Be Free
- An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life
- By: Epictetus, Anthony Long - introduction, Anthony Long - translator
- Narrated by: Shaun Grindell
- Length: 1 hr and 55 mins
- Unabridged
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Born a slave, the Roman Stoic philosopher Epictetus (c. 55-135 AD) taught that mental freedom is supreme, since it can liberate one anywhere, even in a prison. In How to Be Free, A. A. Long - one of the world's leading authorities on Stoicism and a pioneer in its remarkable contemporary revival - provides a superb new edition of Epictetus's celebrated guide to the Stoic philosophy of life (the Encheiridion) along with a selection of related reflections in his Discourses.
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A very good translation of the handbook
- By Anonymous User on 25-06-20
Summary
The great insights of the Stoics are spread over a wide range of ancient sources. This book brings them all together for the first time. It systematically presents what the various Stoic philosophers said on every important topic, accompanied by an eloquent commentary that is clear and concise. The result is a set of philosophy lessons for everyone - the most valuable wisdom of ages past made available for our times, and for all time.
What listeners say about The Practicing Stoic
Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Guilherme Duarte Carvalho
- 29-01-19
amazing substance with poor delivery
very interesting but the performance is rushed and hard to follow. the content itself is worth it by itself though
3 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 14-01-21
A must read/listen for all aspiring stoics
A fantastic systematic account of stoicism. Perennial wisdom brilliantly categorised and commented on by the author.
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- Paulo Ferreira
- 25-10-20
Not another introduction to Stoicism
I first heard about Farnsworth's book while listening to the Sunday Stoic podcast. The author has done exhaustive research to piece together how Stoics (and others who understood Stoicism) have viewed setbacks, insults, time and other important topics through the ages. As an audiobook, listening to author, title and year for each of the hundreds of references gets a bit tiresome, but I can see why they had to do it.
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- vincent brady
- 05-05-20
Review The Practicing Stoic
Excellent introduction to Stoicism and the philosophers who championed it. Each chapter covers a particular facet such as how to live on the present. There are liberal quotes from philosophers such as Epictetus and Montaigne which add greatly to the impact. The book has certainly piqued my interest and I hope to further delve by perhaps reading original works such as Meditations by Marcus Aurelius.
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- Education Expert
- 07-03-20
I would guess the book is better
I am a huge fan of Stoicism and my similar background to the author makes me biased in his favor. The ideas, of course, are wonderful. But the excessive attributions make the audio book a hard listen. I was expecting far more commentary from the author. Instead, there are endless quotes from the great Stoic minds - that's not a bad thing and for me quite a good thing -- but at the end of each quote, we have to endure listening to the footnote. i realize that quoting sources requires proper attribution and, in a book, the reader can quickly gaze over the details. A solution: just provide a PDF for those who want the exact citation, Audible listeners are usually not sitting with a pen and paper so whatever attributions are given - beyond the original speaker's name - are nearly useless. Incredibly frustrating.
40 people found this helpful
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- J'oli
- 26-03-19
A comprehensive guide to stoicism. Mind altering. Life changing
I recommend this to anyone seeking peace of mind through the practice of the philosophy o stoicism. This book is very well researched and covers all the great stoic thinkers such as Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Schopenhauer even Emerson. I followed this purchase with ON ANGER by Seneca, MEDITATIONS by Aurelius, THE ENCHIRIDION, and THE WISDOM OF LIFE by Schopenhauer and THE COMPLETE ESSAYS OF MONTAIGNE and found that THE PRACTICING STOIC is like a really good “cliff notes” of the above books combined. So, this is the book I now recommend to friends and family. I reread it at least once a week, and have since purchased a physical copy as well. Many thanks to the author for putting this together. Great job to the narrator as well.
28 people found this helpful
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- Deborah Jean Anderson
- 14-03-19
A good place to start before diving in.
Probably the most important thing that I should mention is that this book is less an original interpretation of stoic thoughts and ideas than it is a curated collection of some of the most important statements made by famous stoics and those influenced by them. However, it is no less for that fact and I appreciate the author's willingness to let the greats of stoic philosophy speak for themselves. Also, the author chose to set up the individual sections of the book as though they were lessons building off of one another in order to bring the reader/ listener to a more nuanced understanding of the topic gradually. In this I believe they were highly successful. I believe this book serves as a great starting point for the interested to begin studying the subject in earnest. Perhaps the next step might be to study the original works mentioned in this text for ones self.
42 people found this helpful
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- Abysis212
- 04-08-20
Grows on you...
Initially I tried listening to this book straight through. I didn’t quite make it all the way. This book isn’t great as a narrative overall. The opening chapter are in narrative format and the most entertaining to listen to for sure. The rest of the book reads like a series of bullet points on specific topics. Each topic is then given its own chapter. It’s a unique way of organizing a book really. Anyway, I did enjoy listening to much of it but there is only so much you can absorb at one time. I wasn’t quite sure how I felt overall but now I see it as a sort of condensed collection of wisdom that can be returned to for brief periods of time. The stoics were quite refreshing and funny after all. I quite like the performance. The vocalist reading the text has the right amount of seriousness and dry humor. I often found myself smiling. Also, considering the material reads in part like a textbook and part a zen koan I think he does a great job.
10 people found this helpful
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- Neil A. Baesel
- 13-01-20
An outstanding resource, great quotes and context!
A very useful survey of the teachings of the Stoics, quoting both from primary sources and the writings of later authors influenced by them. It's helpful to compare and contrast these views, and to have them placed in context by the author of this work. Recommend.
6 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 09-07-19
Highly recommend
Great book with many great unique ideas. Beautifully narrated and I love how he organized the ideas by topics. Very easy to follow . I can’t believe even 2000 years later same ideas apply to our lives today.
6 people found this helpful
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- Dunewanderer
- 22-01-19
practical, reasonable
I found parts to be amusing as well as helpful in dealing with everyday life.
11 people found this helpful
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- Aaron Holt
- 15-01-20
great stoic book
good narration. great informative. more informative than enlightening. good for a listen for learning and refreshing knowledge.
3 people found this helpful
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- Vincent Buggs
- 09-03-19
Begins well, ends so so
The first 5 or so chapters are great. They follow the standard flow of a well written themed chapter. The later chapters are so so in that they are nothing but quotes from Epictetus, Seneca and Montaigne. Imagine listening to Epictetus says, Seneca says, or Montaigne says for a few hours. The bright side is you wouldn’t have to buy the aforementioned philosophers as their works are contained here.
5 people found this helpful
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- isabel B.
- 26-10-20
Great book
extremely well written and explained great way to get acquainted with all the great minds of the past .we can realized that all has been said ! nothing we hear now is NEW
1 person found this helpful