review think like an emperor

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"This is a wonderful and important book that anyone interested in Stoicism or in being a better leader should read." ―Ryan Holiday

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.

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Griffin (August 4, 2020)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1250621437
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1250621436
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 9 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.4 x 0.85 x 8.2 inches
Reviewer: Joseph Lee
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: The most important book I've ever read
Review: 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.

Reviewer: B. Chin
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title: 1 of 4 things that has helped with my depression immensely
Review: “How to Think like a Roman Emperor…” has literally changed my life in giving me a deeper dive into Stoicism, helping me actually apply it to my life and retrain my thoughts that led me to be depressed. I’ve struggled with depression since 2005, and Stoicism, plus exercise (specifically running outside), plus talking with a therapist and taking medication have helped me immensely and possibly “cured” my depression (it’s only been 3 weeks since doing all 4 things simultaneously). I recommend starting off with Donald Robertsons book “How to Think like a Roman Emperor…” and then reading the Gregory Hayes translation of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. The free translations (e.g.: George Long) are written in "ye olde English" and hence less accessible.My notes after reading each chapter:Chapter 1. The dead emperor.There are four virtues: wisdom, justice, courage and moderation. These virtues should take priority above worldly things. Our ability to reason is what makes us human. Marcus Aurelius was not afraid of death.Chapter 2. The most truthful child in Rome.SummaryMarcus didn’t concern himself with sounding smart but practical wisdom for everyday use. Conciseness and objectivity should be applied to our speech and describing a situation. Our initial feelings are natural, what matters is how we apply reason to the feelings and situation. It’s not things that upset us but our judgements about things that upset us. The things that we don’t have control over are neither good nor bad. Ask, what would [virtuous person] do?Chapter 3. Contemplating the sage.To communicate wisely, we must phrase things appropriately.To be pure of heart, we must never crave anything that requires walls or curtains around our thoughts. Imagine if a role model followed you around and knew your thoughts.Ask yourself “what would [role model] do?” Model a role models behavior and attitude.Start each day preparing yourself for what you will face and think how your role model will face the situation. Review your day and ask how you could improve and what you did well.Create a list of things desired and admired qualities.Chapter 4. The choice of Hercules.The life of pleasure doesn’t lead to greatness. Pleasure doesn’t equal happiness. Purpose and fulfillment bring great satisfaction, not the pursuit of earthly pleasures.Joy should be active rather than passive. It’s comes from perceiving the virtuous quality of our actions.Contemplate virtue in ourselves and others. Appreciate the things you already have and contemplate how you would miss them if you didn’t have them.What’re the long terms pros and cons of a habit?Spot early warning signs so you can nip problematic desires in the bud.Gain cognitive distance: view thoughts as if they aren’t your own. “Depreciation by analysis”: Break down things in smaller chunks, or into their basic elements.Don’t fall into the double standard of admiring another person’s virtue and downplay yourself pursuing or having that same virtue.Chapter 5. Grasping the nettle.Pain is ephemeral. Think of pain in a detached manner. Physical disabilities do not impede our ability to pursue virtue. Our preconceived judgement about pain affects how we perceive it.Chapter 6. The inner citadel and war of many nations.“The obstacle standing in the way becomes the way” and can become an advantage.Do things with a reserve clause (Fate permitting, God willing). Be indifferent to the results, the pursuit of virtue itself is the reward.Premeditate adversity to make adversity less daunting and to make facing it easier.Exposure therapy, playing through an event in our mind like a short film, where it has a beginning, middle and end, can help with reducing anxiety over time.True inner peace comes from the nature of our own thoughts rather than pleasant natural surroundings.The universe is change. Life is opinion. Contemplate impermanence. External things cannot touch the soul, but our disturbances all arise from within. Things don’t upset us, but our values judgements about them do. Cognitive distancing enables us to do this.When anxious about something, ask “what’s next”. Helps with de-catastrophiz-ing. Eg: if you lose your job, eventually you’ll get a new job. Practice time projection, how will you view X event in 20 years? Why should you be anxious about the event if it won’t concern you in 20 years?Chapter 7. Temporary madness.No one does evil or makes mistakes willingly.Be ready to accept the errors of people. We still share a common humanity with those who oppose us and should treat our enemies with kindness. Even though someone may try to harm us, they cannot damage our true character.Anger is a form of desire, desire for revenge, desire for punishment. Can stem from a rule that is important to us that has been broken.Before we’re angry (in the moment, it’s hard to remember these strategies): practice and remember to self-monitor, cognitive distancing (our judgement about events concern us, not the event itself), postponement, what would X do, functional analysis (eg: what will happen if we let anger guide us).Interacting with troublesome people is an opportunity to practice virtue.Anger does harm to the person harboring anger.Bad people do bad things, we can’t expect bad people to do good things.We should not be surprised by the events of the world and people’s actions.Chapter 8. Death and view from above.All things change and before long they are gone. You cannot step into the same river twice, Heraclitus once said, because new waters are constantly flowing through it.In a sense, death is returning to the state of non-existence before we were born. We were dead centuries before we were born.Philosophy is a lifelong meditation on our own mortality.

Reviewer: Esteban As
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Apenas voy comenzando el libro, pero es increíblemente interesante. Aunque me la paso en el diccionario buscando muchas palabras, estoy disfrutando de cada página. Es increíble y atrapante. Lo único que no me gustó son los materiales del libro. No está bien hecha la cubierta y se siente barato. Yo compre el libro en pasta blanda.

Reviewer: Daniil Shedko Andreevich
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: very great book, life changing

Reviewer: David Jutric
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: Excellent book!

Reviewer: capital one
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: This book has changed the way I deal with life and people.

Reviewer: Mauricio
Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars
Title:
Review: I really liked the author’s modern approach in the narrative of the book, contemplating many valuable stoic lessons and stories, to such an incredible way of life. As a beginner in this philosophy, and also the language, I should say that this book truly helped me in my first steps regarding this old valuable and fantastic perspective on life.