Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius
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- Create Date：2021-11-01 09:54:07
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Ryan Holiday
- ISBN：052554187X
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Summary
From the bestselling authors of The Daily Stoic comes an inspiring guide to the lives of the Stoics， and what the ancients can teach us about happiness， success， resilience and virtue。
Nearly 2，300 years after a ruined merchant named Zeno first established a school on the Stoa Poikile of Athens， Stoicism has found a new audience among those who seek greatness， from athletes to politicians and everyone in between。 It's no wonder; the philosophy and its embrace of self-mastery， virtue， and indifference to that which we cannot control is as urgent today as it was in the chaos of the Roman Empire。 In Lives of the Stoics， Holiday and Hanselman present the fascinating lives of the men and women who strove to live by the timeless Stoic virtues of Courage。 Justice。 Temperance。 Wisdom。 Organized in digestible， mini-biographies of all the well-known--and not so well-known--Stoics， this book vividly brings home what Stoicism was like for the people who loved it and lived it， dusting off powerful lessons to be learned from their struggles and successes。 More than a mere history book， every example in these pages， from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius--slaves to emperors--is designed to help the reader apply philosophy in their own lives。 Holiday and Hanselman unveil the core values and ideas that unite figures from Seneca to Cato to Cicero across the centuries。 Among them are the idea that self-rule is the greatest empire， that character is fate; how Stoics benefit from preparing not only for success， but failure; and learn to love， not merely accept， the hand they are dealt in life。 A treasure of valuable insights and stories， this book can be visited again and again by any reader in search of inspiration from the past。
Nearly 2，300 years after a ruined merchant named Zeno first established a school on the Stoa Poikile of Athens， Stoicism has found a new audience among those who seek greatness， from athletes to politicians and everyone in between。 It's no wonder; the philosophy and its embrace of self-mastery， virtue， and indifference to that which we cannot control is as urgent today as it was in the chaos of the Roman Empire。 In Lives of the Stoics， Holiday and Hanselman present the fascinating lives of the men and women who strove to live by the timeless Stoic virtues of Courage。 Justice。 Temperance。 Wisdom。 Organized in digestible， mini-biographies of all the well-known--and not so well-known--Stoics， this book vividly brings home what Stoicism was like for the people who loved it and lived it， dusting off powerful lessons to be learned from their struggles and successes。 More than a mere history book， every example in these pages， from Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius--slaves to emperors--is designed to help the reader apply philosophy in their own lives。 Holiday and Hanselman unveil the core values and ideas that unite figures from Seneca to Cato to Cicero across the centuries。 Among them are the idea that self-rule is the greatest empire， that character is fate; how Stoics benefit from preparing not only for success， but failure; and learn to love， not merely accept， the hand they are dealt in life。 A treasure of valuable insights and stories， this book can be visited again and again by any reader in search of inspiration from the past。
Reviews
Thomas
，
I enjoyed the vignettes in one of Ryan Holiday's prior books （Ego Is The Enemy， perhaps？ - I can't quite recall which one）， so a whole book dedicated to that sounded like it might be right up my alley。 And it was right up my alley for a time， but this book wasn't all that engaging。 I felt like I was reading from a high school social studies book。 And got about the same level of information from it。 There wasn't anything new here。 I enjoyed the vignettes in one of Ryan Holiday's prior books （Ego Is The Enemy， perhaps？ - I can't quite recall which one）， so a whole book dedicated to that sounded like it might be right up my alley。 And it was right up my alley for a time， but this book wasn't all that engaging。 I felt like I was reading from a high school social studies book。 And got about the same level of information from it。 There wasn't anything new here。 。。。more
Andre Borges
，
It’s one thing to read stoic philosophy it’s a plus to get insight from the life’s of all this philosophers。Super entertaining book， as Ryan already accustomed us to， and I believe this will become my new recommended book as an introduction to stoicism。
Dianna
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I am sure I will read this again as it was a lot to digest and some of it passed right through me without taking root。
Davina Fereday
，
Love this
Matthew Binder
，
A book of wiki entries about Stoic philosophers。
Brandon
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Didn't finish。You gotta move on。 You gotta move on。 Didn't finish。You gotta move on。 You gotta move on。 。。。more
Spmasters
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Interesting read about the founding and spread of Stoic philosophy。
Ken
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This is a Solid history of stoic philosophers。 It is Cool to see what each brought to the table。 If you’re a history buff you will most likely like it。 I did feel like it dragged a bit。 A few of the philosophers featured really didn’t bring much to the table。 I think it could have been 50-60 pages shorter。 Overall it was enjoyable， and if you’re a fan of Ryan’s other work it’s worth a read。
Lenin Yee
，
Nice read。 Some interesting facts about a variety of different stoics throughout history， showcasing the basic principles of this philosophy。 It also mentions some of their failures and flaws。It's a good book to just continue to have stoicism on top of mind。 Nice read。 Some interesting facts about a variety of different stoics throughout history， showcasing the basic principles of this philosophy。 It also mentions some of their failures and flaws。It's a good book to just continue to have stoicism on top of mind。 。。。more
finn
，
‘Lives Of The Stoics’ focuses on 26 Stoics and briefly goes over their ideologies and beliefs。 I think this book is perfect for those wanting to get a taste of Stoicism， it wonderfully explores each philosophers ideas in a easy way to read。
Mark Kricheff
，
Not so much stoic philosophy but rather brief biographies of key stoic philosophers。
Ivan Parisi
，
An exceptional collection of bibliographies encapsulates the essence of Stoicism。 The author uses the same zealousness in carving out the teachings of each stoic from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius。Additionally， the book underlines the peak of Greek and Roman history， giving the reader an authentic flavor of the historical context lived by the philosophers。 Last but not least， the author’s thoughts are perfectly in alignment with the stoic’s tone， which makes this book a “must-read” for its concision & An exceptional collection of bibliographies encapsulates the essence of Stoicism。 The author uses the same zealousness in carving out the teachings of each stoic from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius。Additionally， the book underlines the peak of Greek and Roman history， giving the reader an authentic flavor of the historical context lived by the philosophers。 Last but not least， the author’s thoughts are perfectly in alignment with the stoic’s tone， which makes this book a “must-read” for its concision & incision。 。。。more
Romeo
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A good start to anyone wanting to read a condensed version of the points some Stoics made about the philosophy。 Would not rate it high up in the list of books teaching Stoicism but worth a read and could even be used as research when reading the Stoic’s original work。
Vlad
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It's an enjoyable read。 You're not going to learn anything new about Stoicism but there were details about some of the Stoics lives I found interesting。 Worth the read It's an enjoyable read。 You're not going to learn anything new about Stoicism but there were details about some of the Stoics lives I found interesting。 Worth the read 。。。more
Sushant
，
It's a quick refresher or rather easy entry to stoicism。 Would recommend to anyone who wants to toe test stoicism and graduate to more implementation focused text like the handbook for new stoics by Prof。 Massimo Pigliucci。 The blanket opinion about philosophy is that it's a lot of words and no action， which is what stoicism is not and this book fails to deliver on that promise。 I'd suggest to manage your expectations while picking this up and finish it to the end keeping in mind that the author It's a quick refresher or rather easy entry to stoicism。 Would recommend to anyone who wants to toe test stoicism and graduate to more implementation focused text like the handbook for new stoics by Prof。 Massimo Pigliucci。 The blanket opinion about philosophy is that it's a lot of words and no action， which is what stoicism is not and this book fails to deliver on that promise。 I'd suggest to manage your expectations while picking this up and finish it to the end keeping in mind that the author has built himself into a major contributor among a set of people trying to revive a 2000+year old school of thought。 。。。more
Andrea Ascencio
，
Si no sabes nada sobre la filosofía estoica este libro no es para ti ya que no explica los principios y las bases de esta corriente filosófica。Si ya has leído o estudiado sobre la filosofía estoica y quieres aprender mas sobre ella， este libro tampoco es para ti。El libro es un resumen de la vida de diferentes personas， como vivieron， como entraron a la filosofía estoica， un dato que justifique el apodo que le ponen y su muerte。 Pero no te lleva a entender nada de lo que es la filosofía estoica n Si no sabes nada sobre la filosofía estoica este libro no es para ti ya que no explica los principios y las bases de esta corriente filosófica。Si ya has leído o estudiado sobre la filosofía estoica y quieres aprender mas sobre ella， este libro tampoco es para ti。El libro es un resumen de la vida de diferentes personas， como vivieron， como entraron a la filosofía estoica， un dato que justifique el apodo que le ponen y su muerte。 Pero no te lleva a entender nada de lo que es la filosofía estoica ni te ayuda a entender porque en la actualidad resulta tan novedosa esta filosofía。 。。。more
Jeni
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Interesting book。 It covers a brief history of some of the most influential stoics。 There were many insights in the book including:"Anything you do well is noble， no matter how humble。""There is no better definition of a Stoic: to have but not want， to enjoy without needing。" "One of the central beliefs of Stoicism is the idea that history is cyclical。 That the same thing happens again and again。 We are not so special， they would say。 We are interchangeable pieces， role players in a play that ha Interesting book。 It covers a brief history of some of the most influential stoics。 There were many insights in the book including:"Anything you do well is noble， no matter how humble。""There is no better definition of a Stoic: to have but not want， to enjoy without needing。" "One of the central beliefs of Stoicism is the idea that history is cyclical。 That the same thing happens again and again。 We are not so special， they would say。 We are interchangeable pieces， role players in a play that has been playing since the beginning of time。" "Courage isn't always rushing into the fray。 Sometimes it's endurance。""Who better illustrates these virtues of endurance and courage， selflessness and duty， than the generations of anonymous wives and mothers and daughters of Greece and Rome who suffered， who resisted tyranny， who lived through wars， who raised families， and who were born and died without ever being recognized for their quiet heroism？""To Musonius， the sign of a successful philosopher was not the loud cheering of supporters。 It was silence。 Because it meant the audience was actually thinking--it meant they were wrestling with the difficult ideas that the speaker was getting across。" 。。。more
Probefahrer
，
als Nachschlagewerk für fans auf Papier sicher nicht verkehrt。ich bin ein großer Fan von Ryan Holidays Büchern und seinen eigenen Hörbuchlesungen。 Dieses Buch eignet sich aber für meine Ohren nicht als Hörbuch （genau wie Daily Stoic auch）Da fehlt mir der rote Faden
Zelma Acosta-rubio
，
Para quienes quieren una aproximación inicial al estoicismo es un super resumen de sus principales actores。 Practicidad filosófica sobre la presencia， el carácter， la fortaleza， el autocontrol， el amor y la pérdida。 Siempre me ha gustado el estoicismo porque está orientado a la acción y la humanidad que nos conecta a todos。 Todos imperfectos， aprendiendo a vivir mejor。 La esencia del estoicismo es: no podemos controlar lo que nos pasa， pero sí cómo respondemos a ello。De mis frases favoritas de S Para quienes quieren una aproximación inicial al estoicismo es un super resumen de sus principales actores。 Practicidad filosófica sobre la presencia， el carácter， la fortaleza， el autocontrol， el amor y la pérdida。 Siempre me ha gustado el estoicismo porque está orientado a la acción y la humanidad que nos conecta a todos。 Todos imperfectos， aprendiendo a vivir mejor。 La esencia del estoicismo es: no podemos controlar lo que nos pasa， pero sí cómo respondemos a ello。De mis frases favoritas de Séneca:«Admira a quien lo intenta， aunque fracase»。«Trata a tu inferior como quieras ser tratado por tu superior»。«Importa mucho más lo que tú piensas de ti mismo， que lo que los otros opinen de ti»。 。。。more
David Franciscus
，
A quick read， useful to understand how Stoicism came to be - as well as how influential it was through the rise and fall of the Roman Empire。 Throughly enjoyed it although I think there were too many profiles and so the life of each profiled person was condensed greatly。 Would have preferred to read about 5 people， but I suppose this was a good primer and I can pick up the biographies of the characters I’m interested in。
Wee Jiawei
，
A very good timeline on stoicism， with good storytelling
Dmitry
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blink - history more than anything。 i actually liked it。 but i kinda know the info
Oana Vancea
，
Highly recommend this to stoicism philosophy beginner enthusiasts。 Although it isn't the type of book I normally read or enjoy， there's so much to learn from it。 A great surprise was the conversation between the authors at the end of the audio version。 Highly recommend this to stoicism philosophy beginner enthusiasts。 Although it isn't the type of book I normally read or enjoy， there's so much to learn from it。 A great surprise was the conversation between the authors at the end of the audio version。 。。。more
Kelley Kimble
，
Another executive summary。
F。
，
This book had it's moments when it was really good。 I keep reading or listening to Holiday's books because I want to like them more than I think I actually do。 He's a great Stoic， but maybe only a mediocre writer。 If there were more Stoics writing today it might drive him to improving the craft。 That sounds harsh， but I think it's true。 So， we need more contemporary Stoic Philosophers。 Also， I wish Holiday would pay someone professional to narrate his audiobook versions。 Doing it on a budget is This book had it's moments when it was really good。 I keep reading or listening to Holiday's books because I want to like them more than I think I actually do。 He's a great Stoic， but maybe only a mediocre writer。 If there were more Stoics writing today it might drive him to improving the craft。 That sounds harsh， but I think it's true。 So， we need more contemporary Stoic Philosophers。 Also， I wish Holiday would pay someone professional to narrate his audiobook versions。 Doing it on a budget is only getting him so far。 I'd love a different voice。 If you're a fan of Stoic philosophy I suppose this is right up your alley。 As I alluded to above though， the field is somewhat sparse so you are not going to spend years trying to figure out which books to read or anything。 。。。more
Stijn
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Absoluetly fascinating book。
Ward Hammond
，
Ryan makes Stoicism fascinating with works， audio and videoRyan writes well。 I recommend his books and getting them from his unique bookstore the Painted Porch。 I have been reading and listening to his body of work。 Well done。 Today， as I finish the book， I recall that over lunch I listened to his podcast with Sharon Lebell on Epictetus。 Check it out and pre-order his latest book on Courage。 Live well and die well。
Luis
，
The title of the book is a summary itself; The book itself is not about stoicism as a phylosophy， but the envodiment of the philosophy through the life/actions of it's most popular preachers。 The narrative also incorporates quite well the significance and the historic context in which each philosopher lived， while also tieing quite well their respective lives with each other。I think the book is better enjoyed after some basic background of the history of Greece and Rome。 The title of the book is a summary itself; The book itself is not about stoicism as a phylosophy， but the envodiment of the philosophy through the life/actions of it's most popular preachers。 The narrative also incorporates quite well the significance and the historic context in which each philosopher lived， while also tieing quite well their respective lives with each other。I think the book is better enjoyed after some basic background of the history of Greece and Rome。 。。。more
Jan Longeval
，
Very disappointing。 A boring and totally useless book。 I stopped reading around page 110 having learnt absolutely nothing， quite simply unbearable。 If according to the authors， philosophy is ali about action， their book is anything but。 Out of inspiration， milking the cow until it runs dry。
Jordan Brinkerhoff
，