“The philosopher’s school… is a doctor’s clinic: you should not go there expecting pleasure but rather pain.”
As a rationalist, I was in love with the Stoic philosophy – the teaching of being objective where others are not. The simplicity of this. It is not cold or spiteful to be objective, but rather wise. It calls for a lack of self-blame for stepping away from a thing of ‘passion’ which is refreshing, when almost everything at the moment is thick with it.
In How To Think Like A Roman Emperor, Robertson indulges you in how the ancient emperor Marcus Aurelius thought and approached life as a ruler of a vast empire. The book opens on his death bed, and from there we are gifted lessons in clarity and Stoicism.
According to the Stoic philosophy, when we assign intrinsic values like ‘good’ or ‘bad’ to external events, we are acting irrationally. Robertson draws attention to the before, during and after of events you could keep reliving over and over in your head.
This book is a trove of quotes for thoughtful clarity and amusement, with a section towards the end of how to apply these lessons to your own life.
A cooling read. A contemplative book wrapped in history. I would definitely recommend this for a page-by-page look into peace of mind.
It’s value is most certainly within its wisdom. 📜
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