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frogfruit 's review for:
The advice given in this book will probably not give you any revelations that will instantly transform you into a better person, but it might inspire you to work toward doing so. It's certainly not the life hack type of self-help that people seem to prefer these days, but I don't believe such wisdom can or should be reduced to a checklist. It takes practice and requires work to develop a practice of stoicism.
This book will not replace stoicism, and Holiday specifically states that it is not intended to. It's merely a starting point - a gentle introduction to stoicism coupled with a series of anecdotes that serve as examples that the practice works. It's supposed to inspire and interest you in the philosophy of stoicism. Holiday is especially fond of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius but also recommends Epictetus, Seneca, etc. as well as biographies of Ben Franklin, John D. Rockefeller, and others for further reading.
One of the criticisms of this book is that it seems to suggest a sort of worship towards those featured in the anecdotes. In an interview by Tim Ferriss, Holiday makes it clear that these were real people who had their own problems rather than heroes deserving of worship, but I don't believe this was explicitly stated in the book. By the way, the interview contains some extra tidbits of helpful info, such as recommended books and documentaries, tips on daily routines, advice on how to get into writing, etc., so I recommend listening to it. The audiobook includes it at the end but I believe it's just a copy of The Tim Ferriss Podcast, Episode 4: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/05/06/the-tim-ferriss-podcast-episode-4-ryan-holiday/
I found the anecdotes to be a bit fluffy and a little boring at times - I skimmed over a few of them. It's a pretty short read - those new to stoicism might want to read slowly and digest the information, but it can also be finished in a matter of hours for those more familiar. I would recommend it to those new to stoicism as well as those already familiar with stoicism that need some inspiration to put it into practice.
This book will not replace stoicism, and Holiday specifically states that it is not intended to. It's merely a starting point - a gentle introduction to stoicism coupled with a series of anecdotes that serve as examples that the practice works. It's supposed to inspire and interest you in the philosophy of stoicism. Holiday is especially fond of Meditations by Marcus Aurelius but also recommends Epictetus, Seneca, etc. as well as biographies of Ben Franklin, John D. Rockefeller, and others for further reading.
One of the criticisms of this book is that it seems to suggest a sort of worship towards those featured in the anecdotes. In an interview by Tim Ferriss, Holiday makes it clear that these were real people who had their own problems rather than heroes deserving of worship, but I don't believe this was explicitly stated in the book. By the way, the interview contains some extra tidbits of helpful info, such as recommended books and documentaries, tips on daily routines, advice on how to get into writing, etc., so I recommend listening to it. The audiobook includes it at the end but I believe it's just a copy of The Tim Ferriss Podcast, Episode 4: http://fourhourworkweek.com/2014/05/06/the-tim-ferriss-podcast-episode-4-ryan-holiday/
I found the anecdotes to be a bit fluffy and a little boring at times - I skimmed over a few of them. It's a pretty short read - those new to stoicism might want to read slowly and digest the information, but it can also be finished in a matter of hours for those more familiar. I would recommend it to those new to stoicism as well as those already familiar with stoicism that need some inspiration to put it into practice.