Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living
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- Create Date：2022-01-22 06:51:37
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：David Fideler
- ISBN：039353166X
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Summary
Stoicism， the most influential philosophy of the Roman Empire， offers refreshingly modern ways to strengthen our inner character in the face of an unpredictable world。 Widely recognized as the most talented and humane writer of the Stoic tradition， Seneca teaches us to live with freedom and purpose。 His most enduring work， over a hundred “Letters from a Stoic” written to a close friend， explains how to handle adversity; overcome grief， anxiety， and anger; transform setbacks into opportunities for growth; and recognize the true nature of friendship。
In Breakfast with Seneca， philosopher David Fideler mines Seneca’s classic works in a series of focused chapters， clearly explaining Seneca’s ideas without oversimplifying them。 Best enjoyed as a daily ritual， like an energizing cup of coffee， Seneca’s wisdom provides us with a steady stream of time-tested advice about the human condition—which， as it turns out， hasn’t changed much over the past two thousand years。
In Breakfast with Seneca， philosopher David Fideler mines Seneca’s classic works in a series of focused chapters， clearly explaining Seneca’s ideas without oversimplifying them。 Best enjoyed as a daily ritual， like an energizing cup of coffee， Seneca’s wisdom provides us with a steady stream of time-tested advice about the human condition—which， as it turns out， hasn’t changed much over the past two thousand years。
Reviews
Drew Stockstill
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A great and accessible intro to Seneca and stoicism that got me interested in reading Seneca’s letters。
Danielle
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I was looking for a new audiobook when I read （er， skimmed） an article in the NYT about the stoics， and this book was mentioned as a recommendation。 The snippets of stoic philosophy I read seemed like the perfect way to start 2022， so I nabbed this audiobook and Seneca's Letters （on Kindle， bc it was $1。99！）。 I was expecting this to be a memoir that incorporated bits of Seneca's text， but no。 This was more like some queasy mix of textbook and self-help book。 Spare yourself the read by jumping to I was looking for a new audiobook when I read （er， skimmed） an article in the NYT about the stoics， and this book was mentioned as a recommendation。 The snippets of stoic philosophy I read seemed like the perfect way to start 2022， so I nabbed this audiobook and Seneca's Letters （on Kindle， bc it was $1。99！）。 I was expecting this to be a memoir that incorporated bits of Seneca's text， but no。 This was more like some queasy mix of textbook and self-help book。 Spare yourself the read by jumping to the last chapter， where he summarizes the entire book in a numbered list。 Note -- I did really enjoy， at least conceptually， the stoic teachings。 This was just a boring package for them。 Looking forward reading the first-hand version when I get around to the Letters。 。。。more
Don Putnam
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After listening to the podcast interview where Chris Fisher （Stoicism on Fire） interviewed David Fideler， I decided to give this book a listen on Audible。 It was an excellent book！ David does a phenomenal job weaving solid Stoic theory with applicability， mixed just right with some personal insights from his life。While the book covers many topics from the value of time， to adversity， to gratitude， grief and death， my favorite chapter was "Why You Should Never Complain。" We've all heard of the 'g After listening to the podcast interview where Chris Fisher （Stoicism on Fire） interviewed David Fideler， I decided to give this book a listen on Audible。 It was an excellent book！ David does a phenomenal job weaving solid Stoic theory with applicability， mixed just right with some personal insights from his life。While the book covers many topics from the value of time， to adversity， to gratitude， grief and death， my favorite chapter was "Why You Should Never Complain。" We've all heard of the 'glass half full' or 'glass half empty' analogy about the outlook of life and things。 Fideler states "A Stoic would see a glass of water and view it with gratitude， as a gift from the universe， and be grateful for its life-giving properties。 Because in the end， when you complain， you are no longer living in harmony with nature。 Instead， according to the Stoics， your lack of gratitude is a condemnation of the harmony and beautiful order of the cosmos， which brought you into being in the first place。"Like so many other areas of Stoicism， someone who hasn't learned all the various epistemological Stoic arguments in the areas of physics， logic and ethics， he may wonder how lacking gratitude condemns the harmony and order of the universe。 For this reason， people ought to read his book and comprehend the whole story。 There is a reason the Stoics compared the various parts of philosophy to an egg。 You cannot remove one without destroying the whole。Also very useful from the book was his appendix of 'Stoic Philosophical Exercises' and his recommendation to read Stoic Spiritual Exercises by Elen Buzaré （I have to add another book to my reading list for 2022！） He lists 17， which largely overlap with ones I've written about （https://bit。ly/StoicPractice）In all， an excellent， readable book - one which I highly recommend。 。。。more
Antonomasia
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A useful and sometimes inspiring overview of major topics and ideas in Seneca's work - very helpful as someone who had previously thought he sounded forbidding， and which made me want to explore his writings directly 。。。 when I can fit it in。 Seneca's relevance to contemporary issues is clear， esp for middle class people with busy lives preoccupied with consumerism， status， the pressure of time， irritation and other people's opinions。 I have been wondering for a while about the relationship betw A useful and sometimes inspiring overview of major topics and ideas in Seneca's work - very helpful as someone who had previously thought he sounded forbidding， and which made me want to explore his writings directly 。。。 when I can fit it in。 Seneca's relevance to contemporary issues is clear， esp for middle class people with busy lives preoccupied with consumerism， status， the pressure of time， irritation and other people's opinions。 I have been wondering for a while about the relationship between early Christianity & Stoicism， and had figured that there must have been some kind of cross-fertilisation in the ferment of the Axial Age。 （I know the Axial Age is a controversial idea in some quarters， but what I have read to this point in life convinces me of the similarities and confluence， so I still feel that the spiritual and philosophical developments across Asia and Europe deserve to be grouped together somehow。 I have not read anything really convincing against the concept。） Anyway， Fideler states that Christianity got its ideas of equality from the Stoics。 The audio is unreferenced， but I'd be keen to read a bit more on this point and check whether there's any scholarly consensus on it。Downsides: I did not like this audio reader's voice - however， the speed was fine （not too fast） which is very important to me， and the reason I listened to the whole thing。 Examples from the author's own life could seem too middle-class & privileged - though not IMO as toe-curlingly so as in Massimo Pigliucci's How to Be a Stoic。 （Both authors have lived in more than one country。） I don't think he discouraged relationship drama enough， as his examples two or three times showed his ex-partners or wife being rewarded for it in one way or another - when they could have benefited from being more stoic。 （I think media showing this stuff being rewarded was a bad influence on me when I was younger。） That， these days， could grate on some female readers， so perhaps a male author might steer clear of it for that reason。 But Fideler does not seem to be concerned about drawing the ire of online social justice advocates， as he unfortunately uses a clumsy and one-sided characterisation of identity politics。 He portrays it as divisive and adversarial， rather than seeing that， whilst that is an unfortunately big part of how it plays out on social media， its underlying and ultimate aims of increasing equality and fairness *are* in tune with the Classical Stoics' principles。 The author says that Seneca would have been opposed to it; I think that Seneca was a nuanced and intelligent commentator who would have quickly spotted its upsides and downsides， and perhaps even thought of ways to apply it that bypass the Twitter mob culture whilst doing real good。Instinctively， I feel that praemediatatio malorum needs to be balanced with positive thinking， and that there may be an ideal ratio of one to the other， perhaps depending to an extent on a person's （or their society's） circumstances and temperament。 It is a very good idea to have rehearsed in advance how to behave if something that particularly worries you actually happens。 However， positive thinking towards outcomes you want， especially those which are fairly sensible and realistic， can have benefits in subconsciously prompting a person to behave in ways more likely to lead to those outcomes。 （Though confidence you can act decently in a difficult situation is also a sort of positive thinking。） I haven't yet found material that discusses this， just articles that pit Stoicism against positive thinking。 Too much specialisation there， I suspect， or the pendulum swinging back too far against positive thinking due to collective realisations about the financial crisis， pandemic and climate change （a tendency which has been building among Millenials and Gen Z online for some years， and， as it becomes more widespread， is now being picked up by corporates like Accenture here） and not many yet seem to be unpicking the difference between limitless abundance thinking and a more realistic optimism that still makes sense， at least for some。These days I don't have time to write reviews as long as I used to， or as long as I'd really like to。 I may or may not add to some of these shorter ones in future。 A drawback of short reviews written off the cuff is that I often give disproportionate space to what I disagreed with or disliked in a book。 In at least some cases I hope star ratings will offset this。 。。。more
Rob Cardenas
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This book is absolutely incredible & an amazing guide for how to live with virtue & in a way that is honorable。 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Jt O'Neill
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I saw this book presented so positively in a recent review somewhere that I immediately wanted to read it。 I am familiar with the philosophical school of Stoicism。 William Irvin， professor of philosophy at Wright State University， has written several books that present the ideas in an accessible and friendly fashion and I have enjoyed them all。 However， it's been a while since I read his books so I was eager for a refresher course。 Author and philosopher` David Fideler did not disappoint。Much of I saw this book presented so positively in a recent review somewhere that I immediately wanted to read it。 I am familiar with the philosophical school of Stoicism。 William Irvin， professor of philosophy at Wright State University， has written several books that present the ideas in an accessible and friendly fashion and I have enjoyed them all。 However， it's been a while since I read his books so I was eager for a refresher course。 Author and philosopher` David Fideler did not disappoint。Much of Fedeler's book is exactly what he suggests: plans for living a good life。 I enjoyed how he was able to take the words of Seneca and other Stoic philosophers and make them relevant to today's culture。 I was impressed with how he reframed Seneca's ideas in the language of the cognitive behavioral psychologists。 He included practical strategies for reducing anxiety， for staying authentic， and for managing anger and other emotions。 One of the most interesting chapters to me was the one entitled "Why You Should Never Complain"。 The Stoics believed that we should follow nature and， the way I understood it anyway， is to let life unfold as it will。 To whine and complain abut things that don't go the way you want them to go is worthless。 Instead be grateful for the gifts you have and be open to possibility。 They thought that if we could see and understand how the universe operates as a whole， then we could see the unfolding of our lives as perfect。 Good advice， if you can do it。 Fideler suggests that it is a matter of habit。 Watch your words， watch your messages to yourself。 You can change the habit of complaining。 You will be happier and so will the people with whom you associate。 I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning more about an ancient philosophy that is still valuable today。 If you need a nudge towards acceptance and openness， give this book a try。 。。。more
Marie
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What is needed to live the best possible life？Make progress every day。We usually think we are reacting to things in the outer world， when we are usually reacting to our inner judgements， beliefs and opinions。Follow a single path。Study not to know more but to know better。What stands in the way becomes the way。Derive some benefit from all encounters。You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with。Know yourself。Have a philosophy of life。Play a single character until the cur What is needed to live the best possible life？Make progress every day。We usually think we are reacting to things in the outer world， when we are usually reacting to our inner judgements， beliefs and opinions。Follow a single path。Study not to know more but to know better。What stands in the way becomes the way。Derive some benefit from all encounters。You are the average of the five people that you spend the most time with。Know yourself。Have a philosophy of life。Play a single character until the curtain falls。Your deeds should match your words and your beliefs。All is on loan and must return from whence it came。Greet life and memories with gratitude。Live on the summit。 。。。more
Bharath
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This （audio）book took me by surprise in many ways。 I knew nothing of Stoicism before this book， including the fact that the way we use the word ‘stoic’ is very different from what ‘Stoicism’ stands for。 This book provides an extremely insightful view into Stoic philosophy。 The primary reason for my surprise is that the parallels to Eastern philosophy – Vedanta， Yoga & Buddhism are striking。 All these traditions pre-date Stoicism， but it seems Stoic philosophy developed independently。 The rise of This （audio）book took me by surprise in many ways。 I knew nothing of Stoicism before this book， including the fact that the way we use the word ‘stoic’ is very different from what ‘Stoicism’ stands for。 This book provides an extremely insightful view into Stoic philosophy。 The primary reason for my surprise is that the parallels to Eastern philosophy – Vedanta， Yoga & Buddhism are striking。 All these traditions pre-date Stoicism， but it seems Stoic philosophy developed independently。 The rise of organized religion led to its decline， as Stoic philosophy did not advocate belief in a personal God。 A wide variety of topics are covered: Self-awareness， balance， authenticity （very similar to the concept Brene Brown discusses in her books）， anger management， alignment with nature， interconnectedness of the cosmos etc。 There is also wisdom around the need to be careful while part of a crowd， as mob dynamics are different and dangerous。 The content is largely based on the letters Seneca wrote。 A lot of these concepts today are also part of mindfulness literature （which draw extensively from Eastern philosophy）。 I found it very intellectually stimulating to compare and contrast these teachings with other philosophical traditions I am aware of。 Stoic philosophy is well worth exploring further， and hopefully I will find more interesting books to read covering it。If philosophy interests you， this is an excellent book。 The only area the book could have improved on is that the matter is pretty dense， and including more of Seneca's life could have made it easier to read/listen。 I suppose though that since this dates to ~2000 years back， quite possibly this is all the detail that is available now。My rating: 4。5 / 5。Thanks to Netgalley， Ascent Audio and the author for a free audiobook in order to provide a review。 The audio narration by Paul Heitsch was very good。 。。。more
Debby
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I really enjoyed this book。 I had never read anything by David Fideler， nor anything about Seneca and the stoics， so this was entirely new to me。 I loved it。 I think the author is really good at showing the reader how Seneca and his era are still very relevant to current times。 After finishing it， I have found myself thinking quite a bit about the content of this book。 For me that is a sure sign of a great book。。。 when it sticks with you for quite a while afterwards。
Stacywriting
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This was a very informative and well-researched book。 I have previously read writings by other famous Stoics such as Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius， but never Seneca。This book was enlightening and underscored why I respect the Stoics （both Roman and modern） and follow their philosophy in my everyday life。What I found wonderful about this book is its practical application。Must-read if you are interested in Philosophy and psychology。
Maher Razouk
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عندما يحدث شيء سلبي، لا ينبغي أن نتفاجأ به، بل يجب أن نعتبره فرصة لخلق وضع أفضل。 كل محنة نواجهها هي فرصة لاختبار وتطوير شخصيتنا الداخلية。 أيضًا، الاعتقاد بأن المصائب لن تصيبنا أبدًا سيكون بعيدًا عن الواقع。 يجب أن نتوقع دائما وجود مطبات في الطريق، وأحيانًا مطبات كبيرةديفيد فيدلر
Michelle McGrane
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