The Stoics, and where to start
The school Stoa is named after. Short, practical books on living well.
-
Start here
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius, c. 180
Private notes a Roman emperor wrote to keep himself steady. Read a page a day.
-
Letters from a Stoic
Seneca, c. 65
Warm, sharp letters to a friend about time, fear, friendship and death.
-
The Enchiridion
Epictetus, c. 125
A freed slave's handbook: know what is up to you, and let the rest go.
Short read, under 50 pagesFree to read online
-
On the Shortness of Life
Seneca, c. 49
Life isn't short, we waste it. Seneca's case, in about 30 pages.
-
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
Donald Robertson, 2019
Marcus Aurelius's life told alongside the Stoic habits he used, by a psychotherapist.
-
A Guide to the Good Life
William B. Irvine, 2008
A modern philosopher tries to live as a Stoic and reports what works.
-
The Consolation of Philosophy
Boethius, c. 524
Written in prison awaiting execution. Philosophy herself comes to talk him through it.
How we pick. A person picks every book here, not an algorithm, and each one says why. No ads, affiliate links or paid placement.