Books worth reading

A short, honest list. Start with the first section if you want the Stoics in their own words, and the psychology section if you want modern, research-based help alongside them. Books are recommended by title only; we do not copy from them.

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Stoic primary text

• Stoic primary text

  Letters from a Stoic

  Seneca (translated by Robin Campbell)

  Seneca's letters to a younger friend on fear, grief, time and friendship. Short, warm, and surprisingly modern. A good first Stoic book.

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• Stoic primary text

  Dialogues and Essays

  Seneca (translated by John Davie)

  Includes Seneca's long essay On Anger, plus On the Shortness of Life, On Peace of Mind and his consolations to the grieving.

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• Stoic primary text

  Discourses and Selected Writings

  Epictetus (translated by Robert Dobbin)

  Epictetus was born a slave and taught that freedom lives in how you judge things. Includes the short handbook (Enchiridion) quoted on this site.

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• Stoic primary text

  On the Shortness of Life

  Seneca (translated by C. D. N. Costa)

  A short, sharp essay on how we waste time. Easy to read in one sitting.

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• Stoic primary text

  Meditations

  Marcus Aurelius (translated by Gregory Hays)

  The private notebook of a Roman emperor, written to himself. This is a modern translation, so it reads more easily than the older one quoted on this site.

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Modern introduction

• Modern introduction

  A Guide to the Good Life

  William B. Irvine

  A practical, readable introduction to Stoic techniques for ordinary life, written by a philosophy professor.

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• Modern introduction

  The Obstacle Is the Way

  Ryan Holiday

  A popular, story-driven take on turning setbacks into progress. Best read as a pep talk.

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• Modern introduction

  How to Be a Stoic

  Massimo Pigliucci

  Organised around Epictetus's ideas, with clear, practical examples of how to apply them.

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Psychology

• Psychology

  Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy

  David D. Burns

  A classic on cognitive behavioural therapy, the modern approach most similar to Stoic thinking about thoughts and feelings.

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• Psychology

  The Happiness Trap

  Russ Harris

  An approachable guide to acceptance and commitment therapy: how to make room for hard thoughts without being run by them.

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• Psychology

  Unwinding Anxiety

  Judson Brewer

  A neuroscientist and physician explains how worry loops form and offers small, practical ways to break them.

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• Psychology

  Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

  Carol S. Dweck

  On how seeing ability as something you grow changes the way you handle setbacks.

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• Psychology

  Self-Compassion

  Kristin Neff

  Research-based case for treating yourself like a friend after a mistake. A good counterweight to tough-love thinking.

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• Psychology

  Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle

  Emily Nagoski and Amelia Nagoski

  Explains why stress piles up in the body and what actually helps it complete its cycle.

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Mindfulness

• Mindfulness

  Wherever You Go, There You Are

  Jon Kabat-Zinn

  Short chapters on paying attention to the present moment, from the founder of mindfulness-based stress reduction.

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Contemplative

• Contemplative

  When Things Fall Apart

  Pema Chodron

  Gentle, Buddhist-inspired advice for staying with hard feelings and uncertainty instead of running from them.

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Habits

• Habits

  Atomic Habits

  James Clear

  Practical, small-step ways to start and keep doing the thing you keep putting off.

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Health and society

• Health and society

  Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World

  Vivek H. Murthy

  A former US Surgeon General on why loneliness matters and what to do about it, at the personal and community level.

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Memoir and practice

• Memoir and practice

  Rejection Proof

  Jia Jiang

  One man's hundred days of deliberately asking for things and being told no. Funny, and a useful way to shrink the fear of rejection.

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Read the public-domain texts free

• Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (George Long), Project Gutenberg
• Epictetus, Discourses and Enchiridion (George Long), Project Gutenberg
• The Golden Sayings of Epictetus (Hastings Crossley), Project Gutenberg
• Seneca, Minor Dialogues (Aubrey Stewart), Project Gutenberg
• Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius (Richard Gummere), Wikisource