http:\/\/dailystoic.com<\/a>)<\/p>\n\n\n\nT H E B E S T O F & W H E R E T O S T A R T
The starting point of any new pursuit is critical. Stoicism is no difference. Picking up the wrong book can derail even the most interested student. So where should someone start with Stoicism? Which philosopher? Which translator? Which edition? Are there good books about Stoicism? Good articles? Is the free stuff
on the internet any good? We\u2019ve got you covered<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Meditations is perhaps the only document of its kind ever made. It is the private thoughts of the world\u2019s most powerful man giving advice to himself on how to make good on the responsibilities and obligations of his positions. Trained in stoic philosophy, Marcus stopped almost every night to practice a series of spiritual exercises\u2014reminders designed to make him humble, patient, empathetic, generous, and strong in the face of whatever he was dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Well, now we have this book. It is imminently readable and perfectly accessible. 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. Read it, it is practical philosophy embodied. The Gregory Hays translation from Modern Library is the most accessible edition\u2014completely devoid of any \u201cthou\u2019s\u201d and \u201cshalls\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Letters from a Stoic by Seneca<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Seneca, like Marcus, was also a powerful man in Rome. He was also a great writer and from the looks of it, a trusted friend who gave great advice to his friends. Much of that advice survives in the form of letters. 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. Seneca was a stoic as well, but like Marcus, he was practical and borrowed liberally from other schools. As he quipped to a friend, \u201cI don\u2019t care about the author if the line is good. That is the ethos of practical philosophy\u2014it doesn\u2019t matter from whom or when it came from, what matters if it helps you in your life, if only for a second. Reading Seneca will do that. The Penguin translation is fantastic, both for this collection
of letters (which are more like essays than true correspondence) and the next recommendation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the Shortness of Life by Seneca<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This collection of three short letters\u2014essays, really\u2014might actually be the best introduction to Seneca. The main one, On the Shortness of Life, is a stringent reminder about the non-renewability of our most important resource: our time. One of his most famous quotes comes from this writing and is worth reflecting upon: \u201cIt is not that we are given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.\u201d Just like his letters, make sure to pick the Penguin edition. This one, part of Penguin\u2019s Great Ideas series, is small and perfectly fits in your back pocket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Of the big three (Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus), Epictetus is the most preachy and for many, the least fun to read. That doesn\u2019t mean he isn\u2019t brilliant. On many occasions he expresses something so clearly and profoundly that it will shake you to your core. Personally, I prefer the Penguin translations, but I\u2019ve tried a handful of others and found the differences to be relatively negligible. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fragments by Heraclitus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
This is as ephemeral as the Stoics get. While most of the other recommendations are bent towards hard, practical advice, Heraclitus might
seem a bit poetic. But those beautiful lines are really the same direct advice and timeless, perspective-changing observations as the others.
\u201cTry in vain with empty talk \/ to separate the essences of things \/ and say how each thing truly is. Applicants for wisdom \/ do what I have done: \/ inquire within.
Character is fate. What eyes witness \/ ears believe on hearsay. The crops are sold \/ for money spent on food. Heraclitus is considered as a key influence in Stoic thought and this is evident in the numerous references to Heraclitus that are seen in Meditations. As one scholar put it in explaining Heraclitus\u2019s influence on stoicism, Marcus considered Heraclitus \u201cas one of the great sages.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Courage Under Fire: Testing Epictetus\u2019s Doctrines in a Laboratory of Human Behavior by James Stockdale<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
United States Navy fighter pilot James Stockdale was captured by the North Vietnamese in 1965 where he remained a POW for the next seven years; two
of which were spent wearing leg irons in solitary confinement. Years later, Stockdale would write and lecture extensively on Epictetus\u2019s Enchiridion which he credits for providing the mindset and strength necessary to endure years of torture. Stockdale\u2019s exemplary behavior during imprisonment is an
embodiment how Stoicism can provide us with a framework for dealing with extreme adversity and the obstacles that come in our way.
The Inner Citadel and Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both of these are academic, yet fascinating books. The Inner Citadel is a biography of Marcus Aurelius, which should be next on your list if you
loved Meditations. Philosophy as a Way of Life explores different \u2018spiritual exercises\u2019\u2014ideas and thought exercises from philosophy to help you make better decisions and live a better life. Don\u2019t let the academic aspect scare you\u2014Hadot\u2019s books are incredibly readable and the ideas will stay with you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rome\u2019s Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar by Rob Goodman and Jimmy Son<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Marcus Cato has certainly earned his place in the history books\u2014he was the Stoic senator who led the opposition against Julius Caesar who then killed
himself rather than live under a dictator. Cato was a soldier, a politician, a thinker and most important, an example. His unassailable place in Roman culture is best seen in the old proverbial expression used to make excuses: \u201cWe\u2019re not all Catos. There\u2019s a lot to learn from a politician who couldn\u2019t be corrupted. A philosopher who refused to write. A millionaire who lived among his soldiers and people. He is Marcus Porcius Cato, a man of a different epoch\u2014some two thousand years passed\u2014but a man, who we, without a question, are better off knowing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Marcus Aurelius by Matthew Arnold (essay)<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Matthew Arnold was a Victorian scholar who fell in the category of \u2018sage writers\u2019\u2014the type of writer who instructs and chastises the reader. This is a fantastic essay on Marcus, who as he remarked in 1863, was a man who held the highest power and most powerful station in the world\u2014and the universal verdict of the people around him was that he proved worthy of it. For other short essays, articles and online resources, we recommend the following:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n- Stoicism 101: A Practical Guide for Entrepreneurs<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Stoicism for Modern Stresses: 5 Lessons from Cato<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- On The Shortness of Life: An Introduction to Seneca<\/li>\n\n\n\n
- The Practicality of Pessimism: Stoicism as a Productivity
System<\/li>\n\n\n\n - There is also Stoicism and the Art of Happiness which is a fantastic blog, the Stoicism community on Reddit, author Jules Evans\u2019 Philosophy for Life blog, and of course there is also New Stoa (an online Stoic registry).<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
\nhttps:\/\/gallery.mailchimp.com\/dcd3642d86121fbcaa9914228\/files\/Daily_Stoic_The_Stoic_Reading_List.01.pdf\n<\/div><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Stoic Reading List<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7397","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-calm-through-the-storm"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7397","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=7397"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7397\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":334586,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7397\/revisions\/334586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=7397"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=7397"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bobbijowoods.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=7397"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}