Reviews

Manuale by Epictetus

daisyfrog49's review against another edition

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5.0

The path to serenity.

andy_67's review against another edition

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5.0

Epictetus is worth learning about - incredible story, incredible wisdom!
Ryan Holiday is doing a great job carrying this torch with The Daily Stoic.

crzydjm's review against another edition

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4.0

A pretty decent recap/retelling of Epictetus' most popular writings, Lebell does a great job here. I've read the original source material as well, but this one was worth the time and energy. Some highlights;

- For Epictetus, a happy life and a virtuous life are synonymous. Happiness and personal fulfillment are the natural consequences of doing the right thing. Unlike many philosophers of his day, Epictetus was less concerned with seeking to understand the world than with identifying the specific steps to take in the pursuit of moral excellence. Part of his genius is his emphasis on moral progress over the seeking of moral perfection.

- Our desires and aversions are mercurial rulers. They demand to be pleased. Desire commands us to run off and get what we want. Aversion insists that we must avoid the things that repel us.

- When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.

- Small-minded people habitually reproach others for their own misfortunes. Average people reproach themselves. Those who are dedicated to a life of wisdom understand that the impulse to blame something or someone is foolishness, that there is nothing to be gained in blaming, whether it be others or oneself.

- Refrain from trying to win other people’s approval and admiration. You are taking a higher road. Don’t long for others to see you as sophisticated, unique, or wise. In fact, be suspicious if you appear to others as someone special. Be on your guard against a false sense of self-importance.

- Understand what freedom really is and how it is achieved. Freedom isn’t the right or ability to do whatever you please. Freedom comes from understanding the limits of our own power and the natural limits set in place by divine providence. By accepting life’s limits and inevitabilities and working with them rather than fighting them, we become free.

- We do a better service to ourselves and others by remaining detached and avoiding melodramatic reactions.

- The will of nature is revealed to us through everyday experiences common to all people. For example, if a neighbor’s child breaks a bowl, or some similar thing, we readily say, “These things happen.” When your own bowl breaks, you should respond in the same way as when another person’s bowl breaks.

- Look for and come to understand your connections to other people. We properly locate ourselves within the cosmic scheme by recognizing our natural relations to one another and thereby identifying our duties. Our duties naturally emerge from such fundamental relations as our families, neighborhoods, workplaces, our state or nation. Make it your regular habit to consider your roles—parent, child, neighbor, citizen, leader—and the natural duties that arise from them. Once you know who you are and to whom you are linked, you will know what to do.

- It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. If you have a daybook, write down who you’re trying to be, so that you can refer to this self-definition. Precisely describe the demeanor you want to adopt so that you may preserve it when you are by yourself or with other people.

- When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to.

- Your life is too short and you have important things to do. Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don’t choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest.

- Self-importance is not the way of the true philosopher. Nobody enjoys the company of a braggart. Don’t oppress people with dramatic stories of your own exploits. Nobody cares that much about your war stories and dramatic adventures, though they might indulge you for a while to appear polite. To speak frequently and excessively of your own achievements is tiresome and pompous.

- Arrogance is the banal mask for cowardice; but far more important, it is the most potent impediment to the flourishing life. Clear thinking and self-importance cannot logically coexist. Humanity has no inherent pecking order, despite outward appearances. Everyone in this world is important. If you really want peace of mind and success in your endeavors, forego self-importance.

So many of the previous highlights have been seen before but always worth a revisit...

christospanayi's review against another edition

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4.0

Felt like reading the OG of self help books. I don't know how I feel about the translation/retelling. I am glad that the manual is presented in a clear, simple and modern way but at the same time it read more like a bite size self help book you would find in an airport rather than a philosophy book. That being said, if the language were complicated and unnecessarily cumbersome I would have not read it at all.

I have encountered most of these ideas before and I am happy for the refresh. I would recommend to anyone really but at the same time I would caution them that this book does not really provide the space or framework for deep learning and lasting changes. It rather provides some useful information and insight.

alexmu's review against another edition

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2.0

I like stoicism as a philosophy of life. And Epictetus is one of the "classical" stoic philosophers. But I find this interpretation a bit trite; it's tinged by what I can only describe as an "American way of seeing the world". After all, no one lives in a void, and we are very much influenced by our surroundings. This interpretation just didn't do it for me. Epictetus's work is definitely worth a read, but maybe in a different translation/interpretation.

alexfonty's review against another edition

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reflective fast-paced

5.0

boygirlparty's review against another edition

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informative inspiring medium-paced

4.5

“Follow through on all your generous impulses. Do not question them, especially if a friend needs you; act on his or her behalf. Do not hesitate!
Don't sit around speculating about the possible inconvenience, problems, or dangers. As long as you let your reason lead the way, you will be safe.
It is our duty to stand by our friends in their hour
of need.”

shameless_springroll_reads's review against another edition

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4.0

I love the translation in this book. Beautiful read.

skylarprimm's review against another edition

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5.0

Where has this book been all my life? For the past 10 plus years, the answer has been "on my bookshelf, unread." I'm happy that I finally picked it up, and that I waited until I was immersed in the world of mindfulness and had come to terms with my own anxiety.

Epictetus–as channeled by Sharon Lebell–has so many spot-on observations and prescriptions for living a fulfilling life that it's hard to overstate how meaningful I found this slim book. Perhaps the best I can do is use the author's words, which I am trying to take to heart: “From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself.”

sunblinding's review against another edition

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2.0

A pop-"philosophy" interpretation perfectly suited for those uninterested in thinking. Go read the Discourses unless you're enamoured of drivel.