Seneca was a stoic as well, but like Marcus, he was practical and borrowed liberally from other schools. Now we can read those letters and they can guide us through problems with grief, wealth, poverty, success, failure, education and so many other things. Much of that advice survives in the form of letters. He was also a great writer and from the looks of it, a trusted friend who gave great advice to his friends. Seneca, like Marcus, was also a powerful man in Rome. “To make the best of what is in our power, and take the rest as it occurs.” Personally, I prefer the Penguin translations, but I’ve tried a handful of others and found the differences to be relatively negligible.
On many occasions he expresses something so clearly and profoundly that it will shake you to your core. Of the big three ( Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus ), Epictetus is the most preachy and for many, the least fun to read. What stands in the way becomes the way.”ĭiscourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus The impediment to action advances action. “The mind adapts and converts to its own purposes the obstacle to our acting. It is the most accessible edition-completely devoid of any “thou’s” and “shalls”. Make sure you pick up the Gregory Hays translation from Modern Library. Read it, it is practical philosophy embodied. You cannot read this book and not come away with a phrase or a line that will be helpful to you next time you are in trouble. It is imminently readable and perfectly accessible.
Trained in stoic philosophy, Marcus stopped almost every night to practice a series of spiritual exercises -reminders designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever he was dealing with. It is the private thoughts of the world’s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. Meditations is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. We promise, they’ll change you for the better.
They feel as if they were written two weeks ago, not two millennia ago. No other philosophic writing is more accessible. These are some of the most readable, relatable and powerful works from human history. This is nothing like that-in fact, it’s the furthest from it. If this is the first time you are coming across this philosophy, you might be worried this would be dry and academic and you’d need to spend countless hours to untangle sentences. So where should someone start with Stoicism ? We decided to put together a short list with three books that will help you both understand Stoicism but also teach you valuable lessons for life. Picking up the wrong book can derail even the most interested student. The starting point of any new pursuit is critical.
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