Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius

As the title suggests, this book describes the lives of Stoic philosophers in ancient Greece and Rome. The book does a very good job of not only listing their lives and their histories but tying their lifestyle to their philosophy. According to the book, living an exemplary life in line with the stoic principles was part and parcel of stoic philosophy. It is therefore vital to not only judge these philosophers by their writings but also on what they know about the choices they made, the lives they lived, and the people they surrounded themselves with. The book illustrates that their lives were varied and often full of challenges that pushed their philosophies further. This included being born into slavery as well as being tempted by the power of being the emperor of the Roman empire. I found the stories inspiring and also like to have the book as a reference when reading quotes from a particular philosopher to get a sense of their context and experience. The book was also a joy to read. The author not only displays great knowledge of the topic but also manages to keep the reader engaged through his mastery of narrative. I highly recommend this book to anyone. I found a lot of inspiration in this book that helped me through the long months of lockdown.

Very real accounts of the ancient Stoics.Sometimes not as fluid as could be, but still enjoyable to read.IIf you want to understand the Stoic rock stars wuickly, this is your book.I enjoyed it shortly after reading 'the obstacle is the way'

This is a great book that really brings to life the art of living the principles of Stoicism through 26 mini-biographies.Ryan and Stephen have done a great job with their research to highlight the lives of these stoics. Whilst some of them are well known, there were many I had not come across and they range from being merchants, generals, writers, athletes, parents, professors, daughters and diplomats.Each chapter starts with the Name, pronunciation, image and birth and death dates, starting with Zeno born in 334 BC and finishing off with Marcus Aurelius who was born in 121 AD. The chapters bring the essence of the life of each stoic. Ryan and Stephen mention in the Introduction that the aim hasn't been to have strict scholarly accuracy but actually bring out the moral lessons from the lives of each of the stoics. There is also a useful timeline at the end of the book to show the 500 years of Stoicism.The book through each of the biographies, helps bring to life how the Stoic virtues of Courage. Justice. Temperance. Wisdom were lived by them. Interestingly it showed that many of the stoics did fall short of these values, they were tempted by wealth, made compromises, groped for fame, lost their temper, lied, were silent when they shouldn't have been and many other things. However, they teach through their choices why the virtues were important. You get to learn from their successes and failures. More importantly, it enables the reader to help apply philosophy to their own lives.Given how 2020 has been for almost everyone, this is a great book to be able to understand the art of living no matter the circumstances and navigate a world with it's ups and downs. It is a great book for reflection and building your own understanding of how you want to live your life and the values you want to live by. I highly recommend the book.

5* for a well laid out (chronological) view of Stoics throughout the Roman Era. There were many I didn't know of despite following Daily Stoic for years and it contained a good look at well known Stoics. A useful book for anyone concerned with living well - the book also doesn't shy away from the flaws many of the Stoics have and their failures. A very human look. Overall, an insightful and fascinating read.

A thoroughly interesting book about the past lives of the greats; I was hooked to discover with every chapter/historical figures things about their past. Engaging, well written - this is no reflection on the quality of the book so I'm not downmarking it, it's just I wish we were able to retain and hold onto long lost papers/documents what said Stoics wrote better then history has treated them.

It's a great compilation of most relevant stoic philosophers.Fantastic book to start to know the origins of stoic philosophy and who were this people and how they become the men and women that inspired future generations.Easy to read, didactic and entertainer.Really enjoyed reading this book.

I really enjoyed reading about the lives of many Stoics, some very familiar and many I hadn't heard of before. It is an opportunity to build on these lives for all who read this.What stopped me in my tracks however, is the mention of Margaret Thatcher as a Stoic. As a Scot and what her government's did to my native country (introduction of the poll tax one year before that of England, coal mining strikes and the destruction of heavy engineering), she is not remembered fondly. In fact, I'd go so far to liken her influence on Scotland to that of a slaveholder, in that she felt she could do almost what she wanted. Ryan, do some more extensive reading on this one for the future.

I read the book in one go because I was interested in the wise quotes from the philosophers themselves. The prose is rather simplistic, not enticing at all. Some books grab you, are beautifully written and take you on a journey. Not this one. There is one mention of a woman and that felt rushed, might have been best not to mention her at all. I am glad for the intro to all those wise men but alas I wasn’t impressed by the writers.

Through the origins and the history of the stoics, we can better understand the "whys" and "hows" of the filosophy.

An interesting book which reviews the lives and deeds of ancient stoics, it is good to remember how all started, and keep in mind the basis of stoicism.

Thought provoking, it leaves the best for last. It is easy to find yourself wishing to be like these great names...just to realize it is a life long journey, very much worth the time

Very boring and biased at times.

Excellent collection of the lives of all the major stoics. The chapters on Cicero, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius are very interesting and worth reading.