A Guide to the Good Life

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

By: William B. Irvine

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's 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.

©2009 William B. Irvine (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Well crafted.

Irvine and Cronin give a clear, conversational but not breezy treatment of applied Stoicism. There are many personal guides to Stoicism cropping up these days (Holiday, Robertson, Pigliucci, etc.). Along with Becker's theoretical book A New Stoicism, this is the one modern practical guide I return to.

Stoic

Good book for me at 50 yrs of age. Younger people may have some hard time absorbing this nuggets.

Enjoyable listen, relevant content

What did you love best about A Guide to the Good Life?

The theme of this book resonates at this stage of my life. A little older and prone to get wound up about things outside my sphere of influence. Not thinking or worrying about the past, present, or things outside your control frees the mind and allows one to creatively focus on the things that are both relevant and important. I have listened to this book three times since purchasing two weeks ago. I now try hard to remain calm in all circumstances and focus everyday on ensuring reason always wins each and every mental and physical interaction I am presented with. It really is enlightening to walk away from past decisions and contemplate thoughts and actions that make you simply a better and happier person.

What did you like best about this story?

I love Marcus Aurelius. His view of people is brilliantly summarized and is still valid in the 21st century. I will now do more research on his writings.

Any additional comments?

I am in the camp that believes we are all responsible for our thoughts and actions. This book assists in defining an honorable and righteous path forward without the baggage of religion. Of course it will only be one chapter in your storyboard of life but may be significant enough to be the first chapter. Any book that forces you to reflect and think through the presented material and concepts gets five stars in my world. All and all one of my better purchases and one I expect to listen to frequently in the future.

I am sold on Stoicism

I absolutely loved this. I came across this book from an epison of "Hidden Brain" and it has fully convinced me to pursue the life of a stoic. I will take the recommendation of beginning with Seneca, and will perhaps come back to this book periodically to get the great overview of this new way of life I am pursuing.

The most comprehensive guide on Stoicism I read

It would be an amazing intro to Stoicism for someone who's never explored it before. This is the book I will recommend to those who are interested in exploring the basics of this philosophy.

Fantastic intro to practical Stoicism

Very comprehensive, enlightening and entertaining journey into Stoicism, the ancient Stoics, busting the modern interpretation of Stoicism and how to apply these principles to life.

This will certainly require a few more listens (and reads on Kindle) but I'm very much looking forward to it.

Recommended.

Decent listen- good concepts

The narrator may have been a little dry but it works in this context. I was impressed by the concepts conveyed in this book and how much of these practices I already employ. Now I have a method of expressing my thoughts to others since this audiobook summarizes the stoics in a succinct and understandable way. Much of the information was repetitive and I think the book could have been cut down by about an hour. Overall- good listen

Great Work

As a Clinical Psychologist and teacher, I feel this is valuable information to improve one’s self-esteem, confidence, while reducing anger and anxiety. A true roadmap to a good life.

Life Changing

In the past, a very long time ago, I enjoyed reading about the Philosophers..I just needed someone like this author to explain how it could be applied to current life! He did an awesome job of that with logic and humor. I am grateful! The narration was also purely wonderful. (I'd love to see this book required reading in high school, I so wish I could go back in time to read it then)!

Much to learn - Practical Philosophy

In this day & age, where its all about speed and multitasking, we all can learn a lot from the ancient stoics. It isn't what you think it is and you would benefit a great deal if you implement the philosophy into your life. I know I did already and still working on it. A "self-help" book based on a 2,400 year old philosophy. I promise it's not what you think so give it a try.