Alexander Sandberg &
A Guide to the Good Life by William Braxton Irvine

** spoiler alert ** Found the book very pleasant to read - which is paradoxical given it was on Stoicism. Anyway... the author does a great job of putting Stoic philosophy in the context of modern life - a strong suggestion to anyone interested in learning about more about practicing Stoicism.

Very interesting perspective on life and following what the author calls "a philosophy of life". The book is finely written, easy to read and to the point. However, it becomes quite repetitive by the time you reach its final pages and, well, a little bit boring.

This is one of the best, if not the best, primers on modern Stoicism. William B. Irvine is an excellent educator and writer. This book truly serves as a guide to living a good life.

I'm sure there's a lot of great information in this book, but I found Irvine's incessant repetition simply too irritating. I threw in the towel a quarter of the way through. (And yes, I realize I've failed at facing my frustration in the proper stoic way.)

This book provides helpful insights to a beginner in the world of Stoicism. It sometimes feels too repetitive, and some chapters may feel superfluous.

The definition of "stoic" and the pursuit of stoicism aren't something I was able to differentiate before reading this book. After, though, I realized how much close to home the concepts of stoicism are to strive to behave. It's not often that I encounter a philosophy, or a belief that rings so completely true with my core self. There were a few concepts that were the most poignant to me. Having a "philosophy of life" is an interesting idea -- a way of living. "Negative visualization"- spending time thinking about what could go wrong to appreciate what you have, and be less affected when things don't go your way. The idea of "control" over - things you have complete control (yourself), limited control how over, or no control over -- and spending time on those you have complete control over. Asking if you're guided by own values, or following others. There were a few things I disagreed with, but those were usually authors interpretations of the original works, which I more agreed with. Having used the online alias Dyogenez for 20 years, and having read everything by Diogenes before this, it was amazing to hear such a deep dive into the cynics way of life - and how similar it is to Stoicism.