A Guide to the Good Life

The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy

By: William B. Irvine

Narrated by: James Patrick Cronin

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.

©2009 William B. Irvine (P)2013 Audible, Inc.

Great book

We would all do well to adopt some if not all of these principles in our lives.

Good overview, but read the original Stoic writings too

This book starts with a brief history of the Stoic philosophers followed by a summary of Stoic beliefs. Then the bulk of the book focuses on how the author uses the Stoic guidelines and suggestions for how we can also apply them to better our lives. It reads like a self help book, but the ideas are helpful. The one thing I would stress is that the original Stoic writings are pretty clear, approachable and accessible so I recommend reading those first and then revisit this book later if you have further interest as a way to organize the exercises.

Updates a Practical Life Philosophy

I consider rhis a masterful explanation of Modern Stoicism, which is very different from lower case stoicism and also from Traditional Stoiciam which incorporated -- some say relied on-- belief in providence,, god , a purpose or plan to nature. Irvine explains how the key tenants of this philosophy can thrive in a world' view that recognizes evolution, in modern social structures. He is clear about this shift, what it sacrifices and preserves, and how the philosophy might even extend a bit to become even more practical today for those pursuing goodness and seeking tranquility.

I've listened through several times, bought and read the book, and after reading many others as well ai recommend this first for anyone curious about this powerful life path. He is clear, organized, and concise and the narration is great. It's a personal favorite.

If you want your life transformed, listen.

Informative, straight to the point. This book contains techniques and advice for becoming a stoic.

A great analysis and summery

This is a great analysis + summery of the concepts taught by stoics.
Easy to read. Practical and answers many question one might have in mind about the good life.

A quick read and well worth it!

Without realizing it, I had already been incorporating some of the ideas of stoicism in this book. I am a musician in my fifties living on limited income and I expect that this book will be a great reference for me in the future. Well narrated and full of great insights that I am looking forward to applying in my life.

A different kind of thinking

having a philosophy for your life and one that fits can really make a difference of how you're rewarded

Take notes as you listen

Overall Irving did an admirable job in expressing his own and other Stoics continual challenges of obtaining contentment and joy.

Philosophy of life

Loved the book, I was already reading another book which was more like introduction to stoicism when I started listening to meditations by the other on the *waking up * app and was surprised that it's about what I was reading, so I started reading his book and it's worth reading even if you know what's stoicism is, because every writer has his own input and understanding of the philosophy
I like how he addresses the modern life and society, and the easy way of him explaining how he understands stoicicm and why it worked for him, worth reading, the narrator did a good job too, the other doesn't have the right voice to do it to be honest, him being a stoic will not mind me saying that 😉

learned a lot!

loved it! helped me a lot in understanding Stoicism. going to listen to it again.