A Guide to the Good Life
The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
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A Guide to the Good Life
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Narrated by:
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James Patrick Cronin
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Written by:
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William B. Irvine
About this listen
One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient Rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life.
Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable first-hand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. Listeners learn how to minimize worry, how to let go of the past and focus our efforts on the things we can control, and how to deal with insults, grief, old age, and the distracting temptations of fame and fortune. We learn from Marcus Aurelius the importance of prizing only things of true value, and from Epictetus we learn how to be more content with what we have.
Finally, A Guide to the Good Life shows listeners how to become thoughtful observers of their own lives. If we watch ourselves as we go about our daily business and later reflect on what we saw, we can better identify the sources of distress and eventually avoid that pain in our life. By doing this, the Stoics thought, we can hope to attain a truly joyful life.
©2009 William B. Irvine (P)2013 Audible, Inc.What listeners say about A Guide to the Good Life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- Dan Beaudoin
- 2018-09-19
A great overview
Irvine has given us a great overview, primarily of the Roman Stoics - a start and a jumping-off point for those interested in exploring the Stoic philosophy.
#Audible1
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Josh White
- 2019-12-11
A Modern Stoic
I really enjoyed the book. If you are interested in Stoicism this is a good introduction
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3 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amy Zell
- 2021-12-03
Accessible intro to stoicism
Great overview of stoic principles. Well-reasoned and thoughtfully presented. The author covers the history of stoics and challenges traditional beliefs to see them in a modern light. Lovely narration.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Cb
- 2020-06-02
A must read for anyone.
for anyone wishing to understand true gratitude for our lives and our interactions with others.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Robert Peck
- 2021-12-30
Wonderful advice.
Balanced advice from one who has studied and lived stoicism, written in an unpretentious style that is easily accessible by laypeople. This is my second time listening to the whole book. It won't be my last.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- NewMom1520
- 2017-10-19
Convinced to try stoicism
I didn’t know anything about philosophy before I read this book. I first heard the author interviewed about the book on Ideas on CBC radio and was intrigued by his proposals. I purchased the book but then never had time to read it. Then I subscribed to audible and listened to it twice. First of all the narrator’s voice and way of speaking are great. The content is very deep. The author convinced me that if I implement some of these strategies like negative visualization and the trichotomy of control I could attain tranquility more often than not and reduce the amount of negative emotions that I experience. As someone with generalized anxiety disorder, I think his proposals are worth a shot. I can’t critique his interpretation or tweaks of Roman stoicism but I think he’s into something here.
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5 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- James Moyse
- 2020-01-20
A great introduction to stoicism
This book did an excellent job of explaining the history, principles and techniques used by stoicism without overdoing it and getting boring.
It was just a great overall explanation on why one may want to adopt a philosophy of life, and why stoicism is a great choice. To help one achieve more tranquillity and satisfaction in daily living. A great read for young professionals like myself especially.
I appreciated the way the book explained the parallels and comparisons to Zen Buddhism and other philosophical positions and practices.
Also the narrator was great.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- A
- 2021-03-08
Irvine accomplishes his goal
the author, William Irvine, sets out to synthesize the teachings of the stoic philosophers into a modern-day manual. he fully accomplishes this and I know I and hopefully other listeners will find a lot to take away from this book and hopefully bring some tranquility to modern life. great book!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Matt
- 2019-03-21
Good intro to stoicism, dispelling misconceptions
A great intro to stoic philosophy, and addressing the common misconceptions around stoicism. The book is a little bit dry at times as it gets a bit academic, but overall I think it does a good job of explaining the key points and would be helpful for people looking for a more meaningful philosophy of life.
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- Gevorg
- 2021-05-20
WOW!Provides a radically different outlook on life
Amazing book. The difficult part is to actually apply the principles to your life.
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