Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius
Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
Penguin Random House (September 2020)

Here are generally neglected and underappreciated lovers of wisdom in the ancient world

Most adults with at least a high school education will recognize the name of one or perhaps more of these Greeks: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. Those who saw the film Gladiators may recall Richard Harris’ portrayal of Marcus Aurelius but I doubt if they know that he was a Stoic and probably nothing whatsoever about any of the other philosophers on whom Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman focus in this book.

“What the Stoics were after,” they suggest, “what we remain interested in to this day, were lights to illuminate the path in life. They wanted to know, as we want to know, how to find tranquility, purpose, self-control, and happiness. This journey, whether it begins in ancient Greece or kodern America, is tieless. It is essentual. It is difficult. Which is why we ask, as the Stoics asked: Who can help me? What is true? Where is true north? These and other questions are indeed timeless.

“For it is this, and nothing else, that earns one the title: “Philosopher.”

As I worked my way through Lives of the Stoics, I was again reminded of several other books. For example, of How to Live, in which Sarah Bakewell brilliantly examines twenty attempts by Montaigne to answer that question in his various essays. Also Clayton Christensen’s How Will You Measure Your Life? and Randy Pausch’s The Last Lecture. They and other thinkers in our modern world were as determined as the Stoics were to be guided and informed by core principles.

I am indebted to Douglas Robertson summary of those principles:

“We might briefly summarize the Stoic code of honor described below as follows:

o Love the truth and seek wisdom
o Act with justice, fairness, and kindness toward others
o Master your fears and be courageous
o Master your desires and live with self-discipline

“In addition to this fourfold scheme, some of the Stoics also refer to a threefold rule of life, which Epictetus describes as the distinction between the Discipline of Assent, the Discipline of Action, and the Discipline of Desire and Aversion. It’s easy to combine these threefold and fourfold models, though, as shown below. The Stoics regarded courage and moderation as two aspects of the discipline required to live consistently in accord with wisdom and justice, by mastering our fears and desires. We can see that in the famous slogan attributed to Epictetus: endure and renounce. Endure our fears (courage) and renounce our desires (moderation) — the Discipline of Desire and Aversion”

As I suggested earlier, few — if any — of those who read this book will have had little — if any — prior knowledge about the philosophers whom Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman celebrate. Most of these lovers of wisdom remain generally neglected and underappreciated. In months and years to come, this book may well change that.

I certainly hope so. Why? Because I cannot recall a prior time when the nee was greater than it is now for leaders who are wholeheartedly committed to the Stoic code of honor. Let’s allow Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman the final comments.

“That’s what Stoicism is. It’s [begin italics] strfetching [end italics]. To be better. To get better. To avoid one more mistake., to take one step closer toward that ideal. Not perfection, but progress. — that’s what each of these [begin italics] lives [end italics] was about.

“The only question that remains for us, the living heirs to this tradition: Are we doing that work?”

Are we?