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The Daily Stoic
Non-member price: $16.95
Publisher's Summary
From the team that brought you The Obstacle Is the Way and Ego Is the Enemy, a beautiful daily devotional of Stoic meditations.
Why have history's greatest minds - from George Washington to Frederick the Great to Ralph Waldo Emerson along with today's top performers, from Super Bowl-winning football coaches to CEOs and celebrities - embraced the wisdom of the ancient Stoics? Because they realize that the most valuable wisdom is timeless and that philosophy is for living a better life, not a classroom exercise.
The Daily Stoic offers a daily devotional of Stoic insights and exercises, featuring all-new translations from Emperor Marcus Aurelius, playwright Seneca, and slave-turned-philosopher Epictetus as well as lesser-known luminaries like Zeno, Cleanthes, and Musonius Rufus. Every day of the year, you'll find one of their pithy, powerful quotations as well as historical anecdotes, provocative commentary, and a helpful glossary of Greek terms. By following these teachings over the course of a year (and, indeed, for years to come), you'll find the serenity, self-knowledge, and resilience you need to live well.
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- Avi Naidu
- 21-01-2020
Great intro to the Stoic philosphy
The is a great book.
Being “Stoic” is an expression that I really misunderstood. In my mind it had been convoluted to mean “unemotional or tough minded”.
Stocism is as far from that as possible. It is a school of thought that went from Greece to Athens in the olden days. Think of Socrates and Marcus Aurelius.
What Ryan Holiday does is really well is break down what Stocism means in reality and there are some great insights for modern life in that book.
i) Situations are not generally in our control The only thing fully in our control is what think about the situation.
ii) It is okay to get angry but remember your first emotional angry response shouldn’t be how you deal with the situation. Instead it’s your follow on actions that matter.
iii) SAINT IN A CAVE – it’s a mistake to assume a Stoic is a Saint in a Cave and should be a deeply contemplative superhuman. In-fact the Stoic is not the saint in the temple but often the merchant in the market
iv) This of life as an elegant banquet.
o Wait for your turn
o Don’t put everything on your plate at once
o Savor what’s in front of you knowing there is an unlimited amount left once you are done with that.
v) Memento Mori - which translated from Latin means “Remember that you will die.” We can use this reminder as Aurelius did, to inspire us to live our best life, to let go of trivial worries, to live a life of virtue, to understand and empathize, and to love our fate.
4 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 29-04-2017
brilliant!
this book is Brant and it's a book that you can read over and over again.
4 people found this helpful
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- Paul
- 24-03-2017
great book!
Plenty of wise words, followed by explanations and analogies. Great for audio and would be great to have on your bedside table also.
4 people found this helpful
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- Eugenio
- 14-05-2017
So grateful for this book
This is one of the books you need to have on your bed table. Fantastic compendium of all the great stoics.
Great work Ryan and Steven!
3 people found this helpful
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- lachy
- 10-11-2017
hardly works as an audio book
hardly works as an audio book, the nature of the writing just doesn't seem to work out. Unless you only listen to one chapter at a time. But that's probably not why you're using an audio book...
6 people found this helpful
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- Matt Fox
- 11-10-2019
Amazing!
Great content on a wide variety of topics, all extremely practical and relevant to the world today.
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- stuart hearn
- 09-08-2019
control only what you can
the words rational choice are etched in, now to turn the words into works, i found myself laughing out aloud at some of the quotes, not mockingly, but out of resonance with the words, better read it again before i die.
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- Daniel
- 22-06-2019
just fantastic
lots of hints and tips on how to improve,enjoy and get the best out of life...also a great audiobook for revising on a regular basis...
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- Steve
- 07-04-2019
Great for self reflection.
A great book to make you reflect and improve upon your personal characteristics. Great for those just starting to explore Stoicism.
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- Anonymous User
- 04-02-2019
Doesn't work as an audiobook
I think this would work as a hardcopy on your nightstand, but as an audio book it is no good. I have barely listened to an hour of it and can't see myself listening to any more. A disappointing purchase
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- Andreas
- 27-12-2016
Not well made as audio
What disappointed you about The Daily Stoic?
You're supposed to listen to one meditation every day, but there is no audible separation between the 366 meditations so you don't know when to stop.... It turned out being a frustration experience instead of meditation.
Any additional comments?
Remake it asap, make a beep or somehow audibly announce when a chapter ends.
165 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Lika
- 24-11-2017
Really useful but maybe the paperback is better
This was supposed to be read one chapter per day, but who does that, right? Useful quotes and all very applicable in life. Definitely worth buying, but since this is the type of book you would always come back to whenever you need an enlightenment, I think probably better to own the paperback version (not that the audiobook is not good, it's just for practicality, easier to go to the chapter you want if it's a physical book).
21 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Jason Masciarelli
- 29-10-2016
Makes Stoicism Accessible
Would you consider the audio edition of The Daily Stoic to be better than the print version?
The audio version is a great compliment to the printed version. Well narrated with multiple voices in a tasteful effort to sound like your listening to the scholars themselves.
What other book might you compare The Daily Stoic to and why?
The Daily Stoic is an instant timeless classic
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
Each meditation is structured in a powerful way providing a concept, stoic quote, then description of how to apply in daily life.
Any additional comments?
The Daily Stoic is fantastic foundational book as both an introduction to stoicism and valuable essence of the best stoic concepts which is great for someone who reads the original stoic works regularly.
20 people found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Greg Grant
- 04-08-2018
The book is worth everything, the reader is not.
I’d recommend the book for sure but I don’t think you can listen to it very well. He reader does his best at changing his tone to indicate different voices but it gets to be annoying. Best way to get the essence and points are to just read them directly.
8 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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- EmmaK
- 14-01-2018
Narration is off-putting
I really like the fact that all of these pearls of wisdom are gathered into one place, but I think I’d like the print version better. The narrator sounds at best like a newscaster, at worst like he’s barking orders. I’m less receptive to the ideas because of the narrator.
17 people found this helpful
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- Simin
- 04-07-2017
Great Reference Book For Everyday Struggles
An excellent book that uses fantastic examples from history to make us both see what it takes to achieve anything great and to be at peace with ourselves.
Ryan Holliday's work will bring you back to earth so that you can see what others have seen and what the rest has missed. When we are not happy, it's not about the world around us but the world inside that is constantly at war. Here is a tool to change your perspective.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 04-01-2017
good as daily companion
What is most valuable is the organization of the book into an almost annual course of stoicism. One can literally do one meditaion per day and make substantial progress. Even the authors comments which put each mediation into the frame of todays world are very helpfull. The only weekness is the somewhat pompous tone of the narration which seems to attempt to indduce the emperial atmosfere of roman senate and the result is a bit funny and unecessarily unatural for today. I don't really get it why these audios always try this tone when it comes to stoicism as if someone really new how the emperors sounded 2 000 years ago.
4 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Torrey
- 13-11-2017
Great way to start the day.
At first I had trouble taking it seriously because the narrotor almost sounds like he’s joking or laughing while reading it. But it grew on me and now I remember quotes in that voice and it makes it more memorable. Great lessons and I use it as meditations in the morning with my coffee and it makes for a good start of the day.
2 people found this helpful
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- SJ
- 29-12-2016
Lots of learnings
Some learnings are difficult to make sense of, but the author's explanation makes each of them practically applicable
2 people found this helpful
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- Samori
- 22-10-2016
Essential
Essential for any person ready to learn about and practice stoicism.
Great meditations and wisdom.
5 people found this helpful
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- shoesshoesshoes
- 23-11-2016
Great content, TERRIBLE audio delivery
Any additional comments?
I'm a big fan of stoic philosophy and enjoyed the daily meditation concept. However, this is one to read; the audio fails miserably. The narrator sounds like a 1950s infomercial, and it's awfully distracting. I stopped listening a few chapters in.
44 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Matt
- 08-09-2017
Unlistenable
I'm afraid I couldn't actually listen to this audio book. The American narrator sounds as if he's promoting a movie in every sentence. It's such a shame. I'll read the book instead. It would be so much better to offer audio books with different narrator options.
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Adrian Shaw
- 05-01-2017
Great book - exceptional research
A book for today, and tomorrow. I love it. My only complaint is the narrator, in that he sounds dated, from a bygone era ... the sort of narrator from a black and white version of Spartacus. Why???? This is a book for 2016, for 2020, for 2030 ... kind of annoying, but not a show stopper
13 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Ross
- 16-12-2016
Great for beginners
Would you consider the audio edition of The Daily Stoic to be better than the print version?
Although I thoroughly enjoyed the audio, IMO print would be better. I prefer to listen to it a little at a time find myself repeating each chapter over a few times to digest, this would be easier with the print version. I will probably purchase the print version soon.
Any additional comments?
I would recommend to everyone(beginners) interested in stoic philosophy though probably print version.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- thedevilishFiend
- 07-12-2017
A way to live.
A brilliant guide for life.
Basically how to live a good life as a human being.
1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Owen Ashby
- 11-02-2017
Genuinely brilliant.
Would you listen to The Daily Stoic again? Why?
I will listen to this daily. It's genuinely useful, practical and impactful wisdom. Brilliantly well researched and easy to use, engage with and understand. The quotes are delivered in a somewhat hammy acting style, which (before becoming a stoic! ) would probably have annoyed me intensely. In the end they are just part of the rich content, delivery and experience- and quite funny. It's a really great book. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a sense of clarity in their lives.
2 people found this helpful
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- Anon
- 19-11-2016
Simply brilliant
fantastic, inspirational and concise, this book is the perfect way of absorbing and putting into practice the teachings of some of the greatest philosophers to have lived. A great stand alone book but also really useful as a companion to Seneca's Letters from A Stoic and Marcus Aurelius's Meditations -it neatly distills the most inspirational quotes from stoic literature and makes it to understandabke to all.
2 people found this helpful
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Overall1 out of 5 stars
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- Jonny140
- 10-12-2019
Awful awful narration
Content is good but narrator made it impossible to listen to. Tried to be stoic about persevering with it. However the narrators 1960s pithe advert voice drove me to complete distraction. I couldn’t finish it so waste of a credit.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
- M J Nelson
- 25-11-2019
You won't find a better guide
You won't find a better guide, whether you are used to studying philosophy, or curiosity caused you to buy this book...even if you are learned in Stocism, we all need a daily pep talk at some time. It would be somewhat difficult to get the best out of this material unless you are / have been serious about putting it's lessons in place and cementing them into your very core. It takes a strong character to PRACTICE Stoicism, but if you can put aside all notions of modern day assumptions as to what Stoicism is, concentrating on the ancient laws that guide it into true Stoic nature and being, this is the book you need to experience true peace of mind. I bought the accompanying journal on the back of using this book...
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- Romell Yarde
- 27-10-2019
Great job with the acting entertaining to the ear
they did a great job with the acting making it sound like a story even though it's a series of quotes. the break downs were super helpful as trying to grasp the old language style can be daunting. this would be a great read along with the physical copy .