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A Guide to the Good Life
- The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
- Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin
- Length: 8 hrs and 3 mins
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A Guide to the Good Life
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Summary
One of the great fears many of us face is that despite all our effort and striving, we will discover at the end that we have wasted our life. In A Guide to the Good Life, William B. Irvine plumbs the wisdom of Stoic philosophy, one of the most popular and successful schools of thought in ancient Rome, and shows how its insight and advice are still remarkably applicable to modern lives. In A Guide to the Good Life, Irvine offers a refreshing presentation of Stoicism, showing how this ancient philosophy can still direct us toward a better life.
Using the psychological insights and the practical techniques of the Stoics, Irvine offers a roadmap for anyone seeking to avoid the feelings of chronic dissatisfaction that plague so many of us. Irvine looks at various Stoic techniques for attaining tranquility and shows how to put these techniques to work in our own life. As he does so, he describes his own experiences practicing Stoicism and offers valuable first-hand advice for anyone wishing to live better by following in the footsteps of these ancient philosophers. Listeners learn 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 listeners how to become thoughtful observers of their own lives. 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.
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What listeners say about A Guide to the Good Life
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Mr. Owen Ashby
- 24-11-16
Highly enjoyable, practical and actionable.
Would you consider the audio edition of A Guide to the Good Life to be better than the print version?
I liked it so much, I bought the hard copy too.
Any additional comments?
I didn't find the narration stilted (as others have). I much prefer this kind of delivery for non-fiction books, in fact, I really hate it when "actors" try to dramatise non-fiction work. Really easy to listen to and digest. I'm off to buy more of his books too. Frankly anyone who is a mentor to Ryan Holiday has to be a legend...
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23 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonimo Nonlodico
- 21-06-16
Wise, profound, enjoyable, even life changing
An excellent book on the most important of subjects: our very own lives and happiness. Not merely intelligent, but wise. Deep yet approachable and even practical. Well written, highly enjoyable, certainly thought provoking. A must listen really!
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7 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zak
- 06-01-20
Brilliant, life changer.
I must be on my seventh listen of this audiobook now, I havent returned to a book as much as I have with this one. Having been interested in stoics for a while now I can say this book brings the main components together really well and the examples used can easily be implemented in modern life.
Anyone struggling with the meaning of life or what to do with your own this book is a must, it doesnt have all the answers but it will show you a way of living that will be more tranquil than a lot of people are currently living by.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story3 out of 5 stars
- Thomas
- 03-06-20
Good modern overview to Stoicism
There's lots in this book, but possibly a bit too much without writing notes or a flow chart to help remember what is going on.
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- John Kenny
- 19-05-18
Excellent
Great listen and very enjoyable in a stoic kind of way. It will certainly make you think.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 07-01-24
Interesting perspectives
A good collection of stoic beliefs along with own interpretations from the author. Definitely more modern take on the philosophy, and I’m sure people can disagree with the things said, nonetheless it’s intriguing and offers things to consider.
Narration and pacing is good.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- KarlK
- 10-09-14
Great follow up to the Antidote by Oliver Burkeman
Would you listen to A Guide to the Good Life again? Why?
Yes, lots of ideas that need to be reiterated in order to fully grasp in a practical way
What about James Patrick Cronin’s performance did you like?
Narration a little spaced apart or something, kindof like it was read by a computer - you get used to it but could have been a bit more fluid.
Did you have an emotional reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?
It made me think about the way I think and how I perceive life's joys as well as challenges, definitely be implementing some stoic traits
Any additional comments?
Can't wait until they get more of Irvine's books on audible, just don't seem to like old school reading
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27 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- Amazon Customer
- 17-08-19
Makes Sense
concise, balanced, rational/logical.
I don't know why I need to add filler words to the review. so I won't.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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- Ben W
- 28-01-20
Good introduction to Stoicism
Enjoyed this book as an introduction to a [modern] take of Stoicism. It had some good practical psychology that can be followed and pointers for further reading.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Steve S
- 27-02-19
An excellent introduction.
A very accessible introduction to stoicism and a good manual for life, author uses practical examples throughout. I was inspired to follow up with the authors further reading reccommendtions.
My only quibble was the narrator's voice took a little getting used to.
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