The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy - A Guide to the Good Life

Great intro into the subject of Stoicism. Would recommend for novices or those who merely want to brush up on the topic with some light reading. Provides a watered down yet encompassing examination of the subject from a modern standpoint.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I didn't know anything about Stoicism before reading this. It was an excellent introduction to the practical ideas of this philosophy. It is written in a very easy to understand and enjoyable way. I plan to return to this book often to review the ideas. I liked the emphasis on developing a philosophy of life. If you're interested in exploring an interesting and practical, I'd check this book out.

From a distance, living as a Stoic seemed too difficult to pursue. First, you would have to dig out all the rules. Then, you'd need to amp up your self-discipline and suffer, and for what?

Irvine's book makes it all so clear, and convincingly shows one has nothing to lose and lots to gain by giving the practice of Stoicism a try. I'm not saying it's a path to perfect bliss, in fact, the author takes pains to keep his promises rational, but already I'm seeing answers show up to the perennial question of how to solve everyday problems, like how to find more joy in facing another day of difficult work among difficult people.

Whatever words I put here will likely not do this book justice so let me just say that if you've ever been interested in finding out how to find joy and happiness in everyday life, you owe it to yourself to give this book a read.

A good attempt at taking stoicism and bring it up to date. In times when perhaps we need it the most. Not only is about being joyful and pursuing happiness but also understanding what is that about. Good read.

Dr. Irvine does an excellent job arguing in favor of adopting a stoic philosophy and having a "philosophy of life." My only criticism of the book is his attack on Psychology and grief counseling as he tends to distort the benefits of the work done by good grief counselors as well as the need for them.

I think Dr. Irvine did a valuable service by writing this book. I had heard quotes from Stoics over time but I had never read a description of most of the major Stoic techniques for the objective of attaining tranquillity. This book provides such a description. It also dispells myths about what Stoicism is. I appreciate the fact that Dr. Irvine gave more than one argument for each psychological technique or bit of advice. I am convinced to give all of the techniques and advice a try. I will continue to read parts of this book over time. And, I will read some of the books that Dr. Irvine included in the chapter entitled "A Stoic Reading Program." I highly recommend this book to anyone who is trying to deal with depression, anxiety, or stress.

Other good books on dealing with problems in life are those by Albert Ellis especially A Guide to Rational Living.

A great and easy read. Very informative and direct without boring the reader. The practices in this book such as negative visualization can help us really practice gratification. Obtain understanding of others and more so ourselves. Towards the end Irvine explained the process how our emotions come about. Which explains the driving purpose of why we feel what we feel. I would definitely read this twice and recommend to everyone.

This book is down to earth and candid. Most strikingly, it tells you to practice Stealth Stoicism--Doesn't it just make you love the guy! Also, he is quite candit to tell you that he does not know if it works or not until the final trial comes. This is the true voice from a practitioner--not the voice of a fake speaking from top of the clouds.

One issue I have is that by chopping the mystical head off Stoicism, it loses some attraction and potency. It reads a bit more like Dale Carnegie's How to Stop Worrying and Start Living--which BTW is a great book. I was hoping to find in Stoicism a mystic appeal on top of these pragmatic advice. Another issue I have with the author's theory is that his view that tranquility is supreme seems to to contradict his view that "public service" and striving for success are also paramount goals. The ancient Stoics argued for public service because God made us to care for our fellow human beings, but since the good professor rejects the notion that God has any part to play, then why shouldn't we just lounge and relax? The author hinted at a reconciliation near the end of the book: maybe the goal of striving and public service ultimately is to toughen ourselves up--not really to serve others, but to practice our impurterbability? I also have some issues with the book's simplification of fatalism--it reminds me of Dale Carnegie's "milk down the drain" discussion--well, sure, we all know that, can't the discussion be more penetrating and moving?

All in all, this book is a great addition to a library on Stoicism. Highly recommended.

I believe this is a great book. Well documented, with an organized structure. It has the benefit of putting philosophy into simple terms. It gave me key principles on Stoicism, valuable approaches and techniques to continue searching and building a better way to live.

I bought this with the recommendation of a couple well-respected entrepreneurs. And it did not disappoint. Lots of good and practical advice from the Stoics, more than we probably know. They were wise beyond their years that's for sure. Check this book out if you're interested in this kinda stuff.

This is a pretty revolutionary book. Stoicism is fairly misunderstood. It is a worthy way to approach daily life. It would be fantastic if it replaced Eastern religions as the hip, new philosophy, to which it is surprisingly similar.

I liked the philosophical accessibility of this book and how it puts the stoic principles into perspective. Highly recommended for anyone who already thinks they have it all figured out and the rest of us too.

"A Guide to the Good Life" presents a secularized version of Stoicism that makes the ancient philosophy come alive for modern audiences. The author reinterprets Stoicism as a set of techniques to manage our desires and achieve tranquility -- and perhaps joy -- in the face of disappointments, social slights, old age, and a culture determined to enslave us to consumer goods. The book is well-written and sparkles with intelligence and good advice. I plan to put some of its lessons to use in my own life. That said, by removing Stoicism from its original theological context, the book strips away the grandeur and spirituality that permeate Stoic texts such as Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. In the end, we are left with Stoicism as Oprah would conceive it. Maybe that's a good thing. Or maybe not....

Sheryl Crow probably said it best in her song Soak Up The Sun, "it's not getting what you want, it's wanting what you've got." But how exactly does one manage that in a generation of consumers living amongst endless consumer goods?

Stoicism offers one method of dealing with this issue, along with so many other. Mr. Irvine does a fantastic job of presenting Stoicism in such a way as to make it practical for modern living. Like so many others out there, I've become increasingly addicted to the self-help genre, reading such books as 7 Habits, I'm Ok-You're OK, etc., but never before have I read something that is so simple yet has the potential to be so life-changing. Mr. Irvine readily admits that Stoicism is only one philosophy of life and that each individual should seek out their own, but in the absence of a life philosophy entirely, Mr. Irvine offers us this work. Including a brief historical introduction that places Stoicism in context, practical advice derived from Stoicism, and a personal account of how leading a Stoic life has affected him, I think you'll find that this book is a perfect place to start for anyone seeking a coherent life philosophy.

Irvine has done a great job of surveying and summarizing the existing literature from the Stoics.
This book provides a very nice introduction to the Philosophy of Stoicism and provides many techniques for the modern person to immediately apply to their own lives that will provide enormous benefit.

There are many things in this book about the stoics that I have felt. Mainly only worrying about the things you can change and not worrying about the things you can't change. I will be reading this over and over,

I thoroughly enjoyed the book, it makes an easy read of what can be a complicated subject. It has inspired me to read more of the Stoic philosophers and their works. I like how it fits nicely with many of the tenants of Buddhism as well.

A practical and useful guide to stoicism. It has good background information and outlines the basic principles that stoics live by. If you want to determine if these principles might be beneficial in your life this book will help you determine that.

This Book is life changing, I normally find philosophy dry and little more than people trying to show everybody how deep they are. But this has opened my mind in a way that is just purely profound. I now have a philosophy of life, and a real sense of tranquility. Thanks to you Mr. Irvine!!!

simple, practical, and totally useful for anyone. don't be afraid of the stoic philosophy aspect. he explains well why the word stoic is so misused. and why we could all use a little more philosophy in our modern world. if you're looking for more inner peace, definitely check it out!

Although I'm just getting started in reading about Stoicism, it looks like an attractive philosophy of life to at least try out and see what works for me and what doesn't. This book is a great introduction: well-written & pretty easy to read. One thing I especially liked was his final chapter, "Practicing Stoicism," where he provides a practical guide of steps to take for those who want to give Stoic living a try.

My only criticism of the book is that the formatting of the endnotes in the Kindle version is terrible, with only one note per page. But that is certainly a minor problem that I can easily be "philosophical" about.

One other good source of information on Stoicism I found recently (and the source which recommended this book to me) is the "How to Be a Stoic" blog by Massimo Pigliucci (Google it). Check out his "Stoicism 101" article for a very quick introduction, which also contains some practical steps for getting started. Here's his the store page, which links to his blog: Massimo Pigliucci (If the link is broken--I tried to fix it after first posting this review--just search the store for his name.)

I have not read philosophy much, but found this to be a fascinating read. I studied Zen for quite some time, and it's an attractive practice for working towards tranquility. This seems similar, but more western, and so more thoughtful and analytical approach. I'd highly recommend the book to anyone who wonders why they aren't satisfied, and what the can do about it. Very practical. I will admit to skipping ahead heavily in the middle sections as there, for me, it was too methodical.

I enjoyed reading this book. It gave some good tips for living a good life and not sweating the small stuff. I would especially recommend if you enjoy reading about philosophy and are open to different points of view and experiment a little with your life in the way you think/act to see if it might improve things. I go back to this book every once in awhile and reread.

This book presents a "philosophy if life" and is aimed at readers looking for practical solutions; it's not a history of Stoicism but it's not a modern day self help book either. The author reasons carefully, basing arguments on "the science of happiness", the Stoic philosophers as well as his own experience. Like the author, I too was drawn to Buddhism but felt uncomfortable with the practice. Stoicism has much in common with Buddhism and may be a better fit for some Westerners.

Part history, part autobiographical sketch, part self-help book, Irvine's "Guide" is a gently thought-provoking read. Being on "the back nine of life" myself (as is the author), I found much of comfort in it.

I very much appreciated this survey of Stoicism, both old and new. The audio book narration also fit well with the subject and was easy to listen to.

I recommend this book for any who are curious about Stoicism and looking for a place to start.

Having read both Epictetus's "Enchiridion" and Marcus Aurelius's "Meditations" and finding them to be unstructured and difficult to read, I purchased this book in the hope that it would provide an intelligible guide to a practical philosophy. It more than achieved that goal.

After providing a brief introduction to Greek and Roman stoicism, Professor Irvine focuses upon the writings of four of its practitioners:

Lucius Annaeus Seneca (Seneca)
Gaius Musonius Rufus (Musonius)
Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius

He then offers a practical guide to living the Stoic life.

All in all, a most useful and enjoyable book.

I had always heard the term "stoic" in my lifetime and never really understood what it meant.

I pictured monks, really strict people, etc.

I'm really glad I listened to this book. I now have a new respect for stoicism and what this philosophy of life actually entails.

This was one of those books that I gained a LOT more out of it than I ever expected to regarding how I view my own life, and also my expectations of this life.

Kudos to the author, great job relaying this philosophy of life and actually making history interesting (as I have never been a history buff at all).

an accessible introduction to stoic philosophy. I believe that there has been no stoic revival because we've condemned it to the sterile halls of academia. Stoicism might be practised again if we could get it out into life and light.

I really liked this book. The author presents ancient wisdom in an easy to understand, friendly way. I think stoicism is a good antidote to a lot of what is ailing modern society and I think this book is a perfect way to help people who feel modern culture leaves them feeling a bit hollow.