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How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by [Donald Robertson]

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Donald Robertson

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius Kindle Edition

by Donald Robertson (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

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"This book is a wonderful introduction to one of history's greatest figures: Marcus Aurelius. His life and this book are a clear guide for those facing adversity, seeking tranquility and pursuing excellence." —Ryan Holiday, bestselling author of The Obstacle is the Way and The Daily Stoic

The life-changing principles of Stoicism taught through the story of its most famous proponent.

Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius was the final famous Stoic philosopher of the ancient world. The Meditations, his personal journal, survives to this day as one of the most loved self-help and spiritual classics of all time. In How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, cognitive psychotherapist Donald Robertson weaves the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius together seamlessly to provide a compelling modern-day guide to the Stoic wisdom followed by countless individuals throughout the centuries as a path to achieving greater fulfillment and emotional resilience.

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor takes readers on a transformative journey along with Marcus, following his progress from a young noble at the court of Hadrian—taken under the wing of some of the finest philosophers of his day—through to his reign as emperor of Rome at the height of its power. Robertson shows how Marcus used philosophical doctrines and therapeutic practices to build emotional resilience and endure tremendous adversity, and guides readers through applying the same methods to their own lives.

Combining remarkable stories from Marcus’s life with insights from modern psychology and the enduring wisdom of his philosophy, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor puts a human face on Stoicism and offers a timeless and essential guide to handling the ethical and psychological challenges we face today.

Length: 293 pages	Word Wise: Enabled	Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
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Editorial Reviews

From the Author

This book is the result of nearly twenty years of research on Stoicism and its relevance to the psychological challenges of modern life. I was inspired to write it when my daughter kept asking me to tell her more and more stories about ancient philosophy. I realized that the best way to learn about Stoicism is through the examples provided by the lives of ancient Stoics such as Marcus Aurelius. In this book, I've combined stories from the life of Marcus Aurelius, based on extensive research using the surviving Roman histories of his reign, with insights and practical guidance found in his famous notebook, known as The Meditations. I also drew on my experience as a cognitive-behavioural therapist and trainer to present Stoic techniques in a way that could be put into practice by modern readers. Chapters deal with topics such as coping with unhealthy desires, pain and illness, worry and anxiety, anger, and loss. The Meditations is already a classic but I realized that people could be helped to get twice as much benefit from the wisdom it contains by learning more about the man who wrote it and the Stoic concepts and techniques he found so valuable in overcoming the challenges he faced as Roman Emperor.

About the Author

Donald Robertson is a writer, trainer, and cognitive psychotherapist. He is the author of six books and dozens of articles on philosophy and psychotherapy. He specializes in evidence-based approaches to the treatment of anxiety and in the relationship between ancient philosophy and modern psychotherapy. He is one of the founding members of the Modern Stoicism organization and has been involved in teaching and writing about Stoicism, and its relevance today, for nearly twenty years.

ASIN : B07D2C5NNV
Publisher : St. Martin's Press (April 2, 2019)
Publication date : April 2, 2019
Language : English
File size : 1754 KB
Text-to-Speech : Enabled
Enhanced typesetting : Enabled
X-Ray : Enabled
Word Wise : Enabled
Print length : 293 pages
Lending : Not Enabled

Best Sellers Rank: #34,759 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #18 in Greek & Roman Philosophy (Kindle Store)
- #101 in Greek & Roman Philosophy (Books)
- #203 in Motivational Self-Help (Kindle Store)

Customer Reviews:
1,072 ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

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Josh Yates

Stoicism saved my life.

Reviewed in the United States on June 9, 2019

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In 2015, I entered a personal crisis from wrong thinking, wrong choices, wrong everything, and alcoholism. I could not distinguish the true from the false. While in recovery, I met another sober alcoholic who handed me Marcus Aurelius Meditations. This was my quake book that shook me at the core. I began reading a lot of Greek philosophy!

Fast forward to 2019, I saw a Donald Robertson tweet about the book "How To Think Like A Roman Emperor." Since Marcus Aurelius had become one of my many dead mentors, I ordered and read Donald's book. A true masterpiece!

The book has a blend of Marcus' life, Roman history, cognitive therapy, philosophy, and psychology. This book taught me much more about Marcus' brother Lucius, who I could relate to prior to my 2015 crisis. Lucius would overindulgence in pleasures, which eventually killed him at age 39 (my current age in 2019).

Donald explains in stoic fashion. I could regurgitate snippets from Donald's book which has helped me, but this review would never end.

I recommend anyone who is new to Stoicism or Marcus Aurelius to get both "Meditations" and "How To Think Like A Roman Emperor".

190 people found this helpful

Helpful

Every Soldier should be given a copy of this book.

Reviewed in the United States on April 2, 2019

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This is a unique book that provides an interesting mix of history, psychology, and philosophy. It will give a deeper meaning to the text you will find in the Meditations. It is seriously a book that I wish would be given to every new military member to build resilience. A much longer and more complete review can be found in the Small Wars Journal.

72 people found this helpful

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Paul Regan

One Fine Book

Reviewed in the United States on April 13, 2019

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I've been a fan of Donald Robertson's work for several years. He's knowledgeable, practical, and an excellent communicator. I've enjoyed everything he's produced. So I was very excited to hear he was coming out with How To Think Like a Roman Emperor. And I was not disappointed.

With philosophy, history and psychotherapy as his building blocks, Donald develops a toolbox of modern Stoic practices and exercises, and assists the reader in exploring what thinking like Marcus Aurelius would look like in today's world.

One of the things I like best about his communications style is that Donald is calm and clear and understandable. He doesn't throw around big words and esoteric terms. He doesn't pepper his writing with hyberbole and fantastic adjectives. He just shares what he wants to share in a way that respects his reader and conveys deep meaning as simply and easily as possible.

There are a lot of good books about Stoicism, both by ancient authors and modern interpreters. I rank How to Think Like a Roman Emperor as among the best.

61 people found this helpful

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Joseph Lee

The most important book I've ever read

Reviewed in the United States on May 4, 2019

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A true masterpiece, Donald's book strikes a rarefied and highly accomplished balance of: presenting clear and practical information on - and exercises for - harnessing greater control over your life, the philosophical origin of the information, and modern therapeutic justifications for why this all works (Donald is an accomplished psychologist with over twenty years of experience in the field), all encapsulated in the very compelling story of the Roman emperor touted the last of the "Five Good Emperors," Marcus Aurelius. This might seem like a lot to take in and truth be told, if you're an absolute newcomer with no exposure to philosophy, meditation, therapy, or religion, then you may struggle a little, however, the language is clear, the ideas well-explained, and like many other Stoic texts, it's succinct at only 269 pages so I invite you to give this a read no matter what your background - you have only wisdom to gain and nothing to lose. The author also recorded an audiobook version that's very good, too, if an audio format is more to your liking.

For those who may be reading this review and are - like me a couple of years ago - wondering what value there is, if any, in reading a book on Greek and Roman philosophy (as primarily categorized on Amazon), know that this is not a boring, academic text, but rather an engaging story and manual for how to become the best version of yourself possible while also minimizing negative emotions from your life such as anxiety, depression, fear, greed, etc. and the corresponding consequences that result from them. You should also know that you'd be in good company - Stoicism as a philosophy has been studied and used as a toolkit by political and business leaders as well as other important historical figures the world over like Frederick the Great, George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman, Theodore Roosevelt, Bill Clinton, James Stockdale and countless more (in addition to popular sports franchises like the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks).

I can't extol the virtues of this book enough. You should read it. You should internalize it. And with some effort, you'll become a much, much better version of yourself.

55 people found this helpful

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Jim A

Practical Application of Stoicism

Reviewed in the United States on April 23, 2019

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Donald Robertson's wonderful tale of Marcus Aurelius' Stoicism provides a much-needed guide to the practical application of Stoicism. Rather than a rehash or re-translation of all the standard Stoic texts, Robertson explains how Stoicism can be implemented in the lives of people - not in ivory towers, not in dusty libraries, but in actual lives (your life if you want it).

If you are like me, you will return to the book over and over to ask yourself, "What would Marcus do?" as explained by Robertson. You will reference the book's Hercules choice or how to deal with extreme pain or desires. You will understand why the daily meditation and daily review are critical parts of a Stoic's journey. Most of all, you will realize that Stoicism can improve your daily life.

If you want to go down the Stoic path, follow in Marcus' footprints. Robertson will be your guide.

29 people found this helpful

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Paul H Gross

Puts meat on stoic bones

Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2019

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This is a wonderful book that gets to the muscle and sinew of Stoicism by examining the life of one of its sages. While I have struggled with other good books on Stoicism, I have learned so much in reading “How to Think Like A Roman Emperor”. And, it is really hard to put down. In a word, it is fabulous.

33 people found this helpful

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Joe Vitale

A masterpiece

Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2019

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I LOVE this book. Elegantly written. Part philosophy. Part psychology. A practical manual on living with integrity and freedom today. The stories are riveting, and teach concepts as you read. One of the few books I will re-read.

20 people found this helpful

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Top reviews from other countries

Mr. Simon Paul Lucas

Life affirming and inspirational

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2019

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I am a massive fan of this book. It has to be the ‘go to’ book for stoic philosophy and practice now. I am on my second reading of it at the moment and it just makes so much more sense than anything I have read before on stoicism. I think it’s because Donald Robertson has set it within the context of Marcus aurelius’s personal battles and challenges and how he applied stoic techniques to guide him. I especially loved the last chapter ‘death and the view from above’. I don’t think I have ever read an internal monologue of someone in there last hours of life before. This is such an original book and potentially life changing. I would love to see Donald Robertson follow up with a book of stories he mentioned that he wrote for his daughter such as the choice of Hercules and the Greek general Xenophon.

16 people found this helpful

Mr. S. Jennings

A fantastic book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 5, 2019

Verified Purchase

Brilliant. Really enjoyed this book and its one I will read many times more and also use as a reference. A great place to start if you are new to Stoicism.

7 people found this helpful

Amazon Customer

Fascinating and Relevant!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 3, 2021

Verified Purchase

This was a genuinely fascinating read. I have been slowly getting in to Stoicism and didn’t appreciate the synergies with cognitive behavioural therapy, which this book highlights (in a really accessible and easy to understand way). As someone undergoing therapy the book was doubly useful - both for increasing my understanding of Stoicism, but also helping to enrich my “therapy journey”. I tend not to post reviews of books but have made an exception for this one. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it has been life changing - but there are lessons and takeaways within that I shall reflect on long after finishing the book. Highly recommended!

2 people found this helpful

Nazir

Very engaging read

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 21, 2020

Verified Purchase

Initially bought it on Audible and was impressed. Though you can get the raw Stoic philosophy of Marcus from his own passages in “The Meditations”, what author does so well here is weave in the context and incidents that demonstrated it. I had listened to it twice on audible and with Father’s Day nearing this was the obvious choice of the book to buy him. I ended up also buying another copy as I can see myself reading it again and also sharing with friends and family.

2 people found this helpful

Kindle Customer

Good Guide to Stoic thought

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 18, 2020

Verified Purchase

A very enjoyable and informative take on Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Enjoyed this book a lot. Would highly recommend to anyone interested in Stoic philosophy.

2 people found this helpful