What are the Best Books on Stoicism?
One of the most profoundly life-altering experiences we may all have is learning to stand firm in the face of hardship. Even though it may be challenging most of the time, it is not totally impractical to do. Here are the top 20 stoic books to aid you in doing it. Adversity may be seen as open doors rather than obstacles if one is armed with temerity, the appropriate attitude, and the right view on things. It’s easier said than done, but nothing is impossible if we set our minds and souls to it.
Ego Is the Enemy
Everyone has encountered someone so utterly self-absorbed that it is difficult to be around them. Between confidence and self-righteousness, there is a delicate line. In his book Ego is the Enemy, Ryan Holiday quotes some of the greatest brains in history to show how they overcame their egos to achieve greatness. He discusses people like Katharine Graham, Howard Hughes, and Eleanor Roosevelt. Holiday acknowledges that many well-known people did have inflated egos. Still, even they were constrained by their own sense of worth. He contends that ego prevents us from developing our talents and acknowledging our shortcomings. There are many insightful perspectives on ego and stoicism in this book. Although intriguing, this book occasionally makes for a tedious read.
The Little Book of Stoicism
The concept of joy is examined in Jonas and Nils Salzberger’s The Little Book of Stoicism. The writers talk about how people feel when they are scared, dying, or depressed. Even though stoicism might be hard to attain, those who possess it nonetheless experience emotions like everyone else. This book is filled with philosophical advice that helps readers navigate life. It engages philosophy through everyday problems. The readers are kept interested the entire time by this novel. It’s captivating and fascinating. It is ideal for individuals unfamiliar with the idea of stoicism since it is simple to comprehend. The writers might be a little repetitious, but this book explains stoicism and philosophy.
Read: STOIC PHILOSOPHY
How to Be a Stoic: Using Ancient Philosophy to Live a Modern Life
Despite being an old idea, stoicism is still relevant today. Massimo Pigliucci’s book covers the notion that patience could help us. This book assists readers in concentrating on the viability of their objectives and what they can sustain. Pigliucci walks readers through challenging topics and how to come up with solutions. Although he can’t give you the answers, he can guide you in the right direction. In the end, this book provides a manual for developing stoicism. Anyone who struggles to balance their emotions with logic and see their own worth in their life and themselves might benefit from it.
The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman’s The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance and the Art of Living is replete with translations from some of the greatest stoics, including Zeno Seneca and Epictetus. The three sections of the book are perception, action, and volition. Readers are urged by the book to adopt an optimistic view of life. The brief yet powerful meditations. Typical completion is simple. There is one for every day of the year because there are 366 of them. The book is jam-packed with quotations from several historical philosophers. This book is excellent for people with plenty of time and those who want to attempt meditation but don’t have much of it.
Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions)
Brad Inwood’s book Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction is not that sort of an introduction. Even though there are just 152 pages, there are still enough to discuss the crucial and substantial aspects of stoicism. Inwood discusses the history of patience and how its legacy has persisted for so long in this book. He discusses the similarities and differences between ancient philosophy and stoicism.
Inwood also integrates his own discovery into this work, which isn’t frequently discussed in stoicism books. His discovery relates to the impact of stoicism on western tradition. The Very Short Introduction series has several volumes, including this one. The book mainly discusses the negative we encounter every day. Instead of dwelling on it, Inwood shows readers how to think about it and utilize it to one’s benefit.
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Stoicism – Understanding and Practicing the Philosophy of the Stoics
It is simple to ignore the subject of stoicism. Despite its importance, it doesn’t compare well to some of the more pertinent branches of philosophy like logic and ethics. The focus of Kyle Faber’s book Stoicism: Understanding and Practicing the Philosophy of the Stoics is finding out the value of stoicism. To support his claims on patience, Faber references well-known stoics. He discusses how the principles of the great stoics in history might be applied to everyday life.
Readers should “learn how to deal with the curve balls of life,” according to Faber. This book will teach readers about stoicism and how to apply it to succeed in all facets of their lives.
A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
William B. Irvine’s A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy is replete with contemporary perspectives on the history of stoicism and its influence on early Rome. Irvine addresses everyone’s most significant concern in this book: “What if there is no point to life?” By incorporating some of the most influential philosophers’ beliefs into modern living, Irvine helps the reader relax.
The book teaches readers how to understand and deal with their own unhappiness in life. He discusses his own stoicism study and offers much evidence from academic studies. This book aids readers in de-stressing and unwinding. It enables readers to embrace better lifestyles and cope with hardship.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
Marcus Aurelius was the last of the Five Good Emperors. Marcus Aurelis is the subject of Donald J. Robertson’s book, How to Think like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelis. His life is chronicled in this book, from his early years until his reign as emperor. As a cognitive therapist, Robertson combines the ideas of the late Aurelis with his scientific views.
This book offers stoicism counsel that Aurelis would provide if he were alive today. This book effectively instructs readers on how to emulate Aurelis’s achievements to become great thinkers and perhaps lead their nations in the future.
The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User’s Manual
There have been so many extraordinary thinkers throughout history. It appears to be impossible to read all of their novels. No one must deal with Ward Farnsworth’s The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical Manual. To allow readers to examine and contrast the viewpoints of many philosophers, the book offers their arguments side by side. The lessons in this book are brief and straightforward to understand.
The book contains the ideas of famous philosophers throughout history as well as a contemporary interpretation of their views. The issues covered in the chapters include “death,” “adversity,” “desire,” and “perspective.” This book serves as an excellent primer on stoicism. People can refer to this book for a very long time. This book is well written and straightforward to read.
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Stoicism: A Detailed Breakdown of Stoicism Philosophy and Wisdom from the Greats
A Comprehensive Analysis of Stoicism Stoicism is explained simply in George Tanner’s Philosophy and Wisdom from the Greats.
The history of stoicism is reviewed in this book, along with some of the greatest philosophers in history and how stoicism gains its strength from human experience. Tanner illustrates how stoicism and its effects on us are closely tied to the reader’s life growth. Despite being an introduction to endurance, this course is packed with challenging concepts and theories. Before starting this work, readers should have a basic knowledge of stoicism. Though it is a brief read, it reads swiftly once it is comprehended.
A Handbook for New Stoics
52 stoicism teachings, one for each week, are included in Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez’s book A Handbook for New Stoics. Pigliucci and Lopez urge readers to follow up and not feel pressured to finish this book quickly by providing a weekly reading.
This book can be read briefly during breakfast while riding the bus or using the restroom. Exercises, research, and examples from real-world situations are included in the book. Because stress is a universal experience, this book benefits readers from various backgrounds. The book uses classical philosophy while also connecting it to contemporary issues. This book is lengthy, but if you read it over 52 weeks, it’s the ideal length.
Lessons in Stoicism
The greatest stoicism lessons may be found in John Sellars’ short, easy-to-read book Lessons in Stoicism. Sellars teaches readers how to better their lives by using the three stoic principles through the works of Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus.
Sellars highlights these three stoics and the effect their writing has had on readers over time. These stoics’ writings instruct individuals on how to have satisfying lives under their own control. Sellars provides readers with an interpretation of this work and shows them how it might benefit each reader differently. Recently, stoicism has had a tremendous resurgence. The reader is guided through this return and what it means for them by this book.
The Stoic Challenge
Stoicism is all about facing your emotions head-on and being strong. Stoicism exhorts individuals to endure suffering and welcome difficulties in life. William B. Irvine’s book The Stoic Challenge: A Philosopher’s Guide to Becoming Tougher, Calmer, and More Resilient teaches readers how to apply the ideas of the early stoics to modern culture.
This book teaches readers how to handle minor setbacks and view them as chances to learn and develop. Irvin says these situations can help us become “tougher, calmer, and more resilient.” This book serves as a basic primer on how to use traditional stoic methods to overcome the modest issues we meet every day and gain wisdom from them.
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Wisdom from Ancient Greek Philosophy
George Tanner’s Wisdom from Ancient Greek Philosophy is a classic work of literature. The meaning of stoicism is revealed in this book. Tanner instructs readers on all aspects of stoicism and how it links to the results of Greek philosophers in this book.
Important ideas like “good against evil,” “virtue and vice,” and “positive and negative externals” are explained in the book. This book contains history, case studies, approaches to contemporary society, and much more. Tanner does a fantastic job of converting a dry academic subject into a gripping narrative. The history of this book is current because it was released in 2018 and offers several contemporary interpretations of stoicism and Greek philosophy.
Stoicism (Volume 1) (Ancient Philosophies)
John Sellars’ book Stoicism (Ancient Philosophy) is filled with the writings of many of the greatest stoics in history. Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and other well-known stoics are among those whose beliefs and histories are covered by Sellars.
This book is excellent for classes that study stoicism and philosophy. The text is written in the order of events. A glossary and table of contents are also included in the book. The book is quite instructive. However, it may also be tedious.
Additionally, he examines some of these masterpieces and demonstrates how they benefit contemporary society. For would-be stoics, this book provides a solid starting point. It provides students with an excellent foundation of information on all the significant Stoics and philosophers.
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Choose The Right One For You
Every single individual may benefit in some manner from stoicism. It aids people in managing gloom, sadness, and uncontrollable feelings. Each of these texts contains a rich philosophical history rooted in stoicism. Stoicism is an essential idea that has recently received renewed attention, despite its somewhat bizarre and repetitive appearance. These are only a few stoicism books that will aid in reintroducing this idea to the society.
