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wakejyles's review against another edition
1.0
Read this for a book club and was pretty put off by it about 10 pages in. I think stoicism has some really interesting and insightful ideas (obviously) but the way this guy writes about it just made me frustrated and annoyed the whole time. It reads more like it’s written for CEOs trying to figure out how to give a pep talk rather than a new perspective on the philosophy being explored. I can only take so much of someone saying “If Rockefeller can do it, then so can you” before I start to call bullshit. Skip this one and read some Marcus Aurelius instead.
cookietheviking's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
fast-paced
4.25
studiomikarts's review against another edition
Since I DNF'd this book, I'm not going to waste any more time on it by writing a detailed review. Suffice it to say, the first third of the book I found to be motivating and instructive, but from that point on, it was steady downhill. Misogynistic viewpoints, the lauding of self-destructive work ethics, and extremely repetitive language are the main things that killed it for me. I'll copy-paste my DNF notes from my reading journal to finish this review.
"I feel this advice could be given with more room for maintaining one's mental and physical health along the way. Today's chapters basically said: work nonstop, try literally everything, fail repeatedly, and focus on the process rather than the outcome. Good advice when simplified like that, but the details are suggestive of a shortened, desperate, miserable fight of a life, an "I'll sleep when I'm dead" style life. At one point the book even questions why aggression is seen in such a negative light these days. Wow. No wonder the book has a misogynistic and overall unhealthy flavor.
"I'ma DNF this book. I see, like many other reviewers, it lost me precisely when the "Action" section began. The first section, "Persistence", was full of sticky notes, and they just stopped after that. That was when I went from inspired to frustrated, bored, and even confused. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like the actionable advice is all over the place, or simply unrealistic or even unhealthy. I'm also gonna give away this and the other book from this series that I have. There's too little time to waste reading subpar books."
"I feel this advice could be given with more room for maintaining one's mental and physical health along the way. Today's chapters basically said: work nonstop, try literally everything, fail repeatedly, and focus on the process rather than the outcome. Good advice when simplified like that, but the details are suggestive of a shortened, desperate, miserable fight of a life, an "I'll sleep when I'm dead" style life. At one point the book even questions why aggression is seen in such a negative light these days. Wow. No wonder the book has a misogynistic and overall unhealthy flavor.
"I'ma DNF this book. I see, like many other reviewers, it lost me precisely when the "Action" section began. The first section, "Persistence", was full of sticky notes, and they just stopped after that. That was when I went from inspired to frustrated, bored, and even confused. I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels like the actionable advice is all over the place, or simply unrealistic or even unhealthy. I'm also gonna give away this and the other book from this series that I have. There's too little time to waste reading subpar books."
hellonada's review against another edition
4.0
An extra book on stoicism Is always good (*˘︶˘*).｡*♡
" God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change , the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference "
" God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change , the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to know the difference "
theresejensen's review against another edition
fast-paced
A book about overcoming obstacles written by someone who doesn’t seem to have had to overcome any obstacles in life. Save your time and don’t read this.
alyssajcori's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book and feel transformed after reading it, however while there were many fantastic stories that illustrated the author’s point, it felt repetitive and preachy. The entire book can be distilled down simply to: see clearly, act correctly, and accept the world for what it is.
I did enjoy the examples and stories, as well as a reminder of how to let go. I suppose it is hard to make an ancient philosophy feel revolutionary, so three stars feels right for this read.
I did enjoy the examples and stories, as well as a reminder of how to let go. I suppose it is hard to make an ancient philosophy feel revolutionary, so three stars feels right for this read.
billboard_police's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
informative
inspiring
medium-paced
4.25
rsr143's review against another edition
4.0
This book is far better than most self-help or philosophy books for the following reasons:
1) it uses well-written examples and stories to convey meaning
2) it lacks the 1-2-3-4 step "quick fix" processes that dilute most self-help books
3) it is clear and easy to understand which distances itself from most confusingly written philosophical tomes
The book is a great entre to Stoicism and applicable to anyone who is (or expects to) face adversity in life and business.
You could easily read it in a single day, but I highly recommend following my approach of taking several weeks to read one chapter at a time (they are very short) while reflecting on the meaning.
1) it uses well-written examples and stories to convey meaning
2) it lacks the 1-2-3-4 step "quick fix" processes that dilute most self-help books
3) it is clear and easy to understand which distances itself from most confusingly written philosophical tomes
The book is a great entre to Stoicism and applicable to anyone who is (or expects to) face adversity in life and business.
You could easily read it in a single day, but I highly recommend following my approach of taking several weeks to read one chapter at a time (they are very short) while reflecting on the meaning.