How to Think Like a Roman Emperor The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

Donald Robertson — 2019

"This book is a wonderful introduction to one of history's greatest figures: Marcus Aurelius. His life and this book are a clear guide for those facing adversity, seeking tranquility and pursuing excellence." —Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic The life-changing principles of Stoicism taught through the story of its most famous proponent. Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the last famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives to this day as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, cognitive psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius together seamlessly to provide a compelling modern-day guide to the Stoic wisdom followed by countless individuals throughout the centuries as a path to achieving greater fulfillment and emotional resilience. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor takes readers on a transformative journey along with Marcus, following his progress from a young noble at the court of Hadrian—taken under the wing of some of the finest philosophers of his day—through to his reign as emperor of Rome at the height of its power. Robertson shows how Marcus used philosophical doctrines and therapeutic practices to build emotional resilience and endure tremendous adversity, and guides readers through applying the same methods to their own lives. Combining remarkable stories from Marcus’s life with insights from modern psychology and the enduring wisdom of his philosophy, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor puts a human face on Stoicism and offers a timeless and essential guide to handling the ethical and psychological challenges we face today.

Reviews

Vojtech@vojtech

May 14, 2023

I enjoyed the crossover of stoicism and therapy. Stoics said that philosophy is only useful as long it helps us live better. Some of the books do tend to be a bit too much abstract to be really useful in day-to-day life. This book is nice exempt.

Every stoic practice is translated into actionable points you can use during your day. I heavily value books which try to take on something abstract and move it into your real life. After all, value is what gives us a better life, no?

Hugo Ahlberg@hugo

Aug 17, 2021

Disclosure: I received a pre-release copy from the publisher. This book is a great introduction to both Marcus Aurelius and Stoic philosophy. It blends the biography of the roman emperor with the philosophy and history of stoicism, and the author ties it all together in a great way. In fact, having already read Meditations I found the biography and the stories about Marcus and the people around him to be the most interesting parts of this book. It gives the philosophy a lot more texture than just reading Marcus own words. That is not to say you should skip Meditations, but rather that they go really well together. This is a great companion book to Meditations. (I’d love to see other books like this of other great classical philosophers like Socrates, Plato etc. If you know of any please let me know)