I just finished reading “A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine“. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius left me wanting to learn more about Stoic philosophy (Meditation book notes). The book teaches us “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 readers how to become thoughtful observers of their own life. 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.”

Click “read more” to see my notes I jotted down as I read the book. You can also buy the book on amazon.com – I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in personal growth or philosophy.

Stoicism

• Philosophy of Life
• “Enlightened hedonism”

Famous Stoics: Epicurus, Marcus Aurelius, Zeno of Citium, Seneca, Musonius Rufus

Stoic Qualities: Courageous, temperate, reasonable, self-disciplined and fully engaged

Stoic Goals:

1. Pursuit of tranquility: absence of negative emotions such as anger, grief, anxiety and fear, and the presence of positive emotions – in particular, joy.
2. Mastering desire & self-discipline, to the extent that it is possible.
3. Expel suffering of the mind. Vain is the word of a philosopher which does not heal any suffering of man. For just as there is no profit in medicine if it does not expel the diseases of the body, so there is no profit in philosophy either, if does not expel the suffering of the mind. – Epicurus

Stoic Concepts

• Transient nature of the world around us
• Idea of an “Integrated Life”
• Don’t consider yourself a victim. Refuse to let your inner self be conquered by your external circumstances.
• Many of the things we desire – most notable, fame and fortune – are not worth pursuing.

Negative Visualization

• Use negative visualization to combat hedonic adaption.
• Be the user, not the slave of the gifts of fortune. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the good things life has to offer, as long as we can give them up without regret if circumstances should change.

Self-Denial

• Practice voluntary discomfort
• Pleasures of the flesh are paltry, trivial and fleeting, so resist the murmurs of the flesh.

Buy the book “A guide to the Good Life by William Irvine on Amazon.com“