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A Guide to the Good Life
- The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
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A Guide to the Good Life
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Summary
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.
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What listeners say about A Guide to the Good Life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mr. Owen Ashby
- 24-11-16
Highly enjoyable, practical and actionable.
Would you consider the audio edition of A Guide to the Good Life to be better than the print version?
I liked it so much, I bought the hard copy too.
Any additional comments?
I didn't find the narration stilted (as others have). I much prefer this kind of delivery for non-fiction books, in fact, I really hate it when "actors" try to dramatise non-fiction work. Really easy to listen to and digest. I'm off to buy more of his books too. Frankly anyone who is a mentor to Ryan Holiday has to be a legend...
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23 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonimo Nonlodico
- 21-06-16
Wise, profound, enjoyable, even life changing
An excellent book on the most important of subjects: our very own lives and happiness. Not merely intelligent, but wise. Deep yet approachable and even practical. Well written, highly enjoyable, certainly thought provoking. A must listen really!
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Zak
- 06-01-20
Brilliant, life changer.
I must be on my seventh listen of this audiobook now, I havent returned to a book as much as I have with this one. Having been interested in stoics for a while now I can say this book brings the main components together really well and the examples used can easily be implemented in modern life.
Anyone struggling with the meaning of life or what to do with your own this book is a must, it doesnt have all the answers but it will show you a way of living that will be more tranquil than a lot of people are currently living by.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Thomas
- 03-06-20
Good modern overview to Stoicism
There's lots in this book, but possibly a bit too much without writing notes or a flow chart to help remember what is going on.
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- John Kenny
- 19-05-18
Excellent
Great listen and very enjoyable in a stoic kind of way. It will certainly make you think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 07-01-24
Interesting perspectives
A good collection of stoic beliefs along with own interpretations from the author. Definitely more modern take on the philosophy, and I’m sure people can disagree with the things said, nonetheless it’s intriguing and offers things to consider.
Narration and pacing is good.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ahmed Karim Lameer
- 18-08-17
engaging and practical
I've been dipping in and out of this book for years and finally finished it. It always had an attraction because of it's practicality.
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8 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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- PineappleFan
- 18-05-18
It'll change your life...
I listened to this, and 'Goodbye, Things: The New Japanese Minimalism by Fumio Sasaki' on consecutive days, an excellent combination.
I'm now happier with the stuff that I own, the house is cleaner and emptier, I've started lifting weights again, and I'm a more attentive listener.
There's a lot to take in but the philosophical precepts of Seneca the Younger and Marcus Aurelius are very simple to grasp, and I reckon within an hour you'll be hooked.
I don't make a big deal about not eating meat or drinking alcohol, and I'll be keeping the fact that I'm a novice stoic to myself too. No need to share everything, but I look at my place in the world quite differently now, and I'm happier.
I can't recommend this introduction to stoicism highly enough.
James Patrick Cronin's delivery is very pleasant and calming. I would definitely listen to other books he's narrated.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Sam L
- 01-07-21
Great Sunday and review of stoicism
Lovely review of the stoicism area and nothing to worry about re narration. Enjoy it!
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Gus
- 23-06-21
Some good pieces of advice. Nice general knowledge
If you're into Stoic ideology or are open minded enough such that you are happy embracing new ideas, this book is quite good.
What I liked with the author is that he is very straight forward. He acknowledges that Stoicism is one way (out of many) to look at life. He then goes into explaining what this way is.
Even if you do not lead a way a life fully in line with the Stoics; some ideas are worth taking along.
It is a relatively long listen but generally very relaxed.
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