The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence and Calmness, by Jonas Salzgeber

• Category: Non-fiction
• Rating: 4 out of 5
• Tags: Philosophy, Stoicism
• How I learned about it: Recommended by a friend

The Little Book of Stoicism, by Jonas Salzgeber, is a nice complement to another recommended book about Stoicism, A Guide to the Good Life, by William B. Irvine.  Both are summaries and interpretations for modern audiences of ancient Stoic thought and practice, so there is lots of overlap between the two books.  Salzgeber’s book elaborates more of the implications of some Stoic principles, like the one about not worrying about things out of your control, and has more suggestions for specific things to practice as a developing Stoic (55 of them, in fact).

It’s interesting how many common pieces of advice floating around in modern culture were also recommended by the ancient Stoics – don’t worry about things you can’t control, or the opinions and insults of others; be your best self; live simply; focus on what’s most important and eliminate the non-essential.  There’s advice on gratitude, empathy, control of anger, and temperance; and on handling grief and loss and your own inevitable demise.

To my taste, the beautiful simplicity of Irvine’s writing is very appealing, but the expansion of ideas and practical tips provided by Salzgeber are highly worthwhile.

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The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius: Selections Annotated and Explained, Annotation by Russell McNeil, PhD, Translation by George Long; Revised by Russell McNeil, PhD

Category: Non-Fiction;  Rating: 3 out of 5;  Tags: Philosophy, Stoicism, Ethics

 

The thoughts of a Roman emperor who lived from 121 to 180 CE are still relevant today.  Advice ranges from handling insults and depression to having the proper attitudes toward pleasure, pain, and death.

Personally, I prefer the interpretation of Stoicism presented in “A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy” by William B. Irvine.  The annotations and explanations of Russell McNeil, PhD, are more true to the historical period in which Stoicism was developed and practiced, but are more esoteric than Irvine’s, who has adapted the principles of Stoicism so they may be practiced by a modern audience.