Stoicism Collection: Meditations, On the Shortness of Life, and Enchiridion

By: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus

Narrated by: Jonathan Waters

Length: 8 hrs and 27 mins

Publisher's summary

This Stoicism audiobook collection contains three of the most influential Stoic pieces. Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus helped to shape Stoicism with their writings of "Meditations", "On the Shortness of Life", and "Enchiridion".

In his personal writings of "Meditations", Marcus Aurelius records private notes to himself as a source for his own guidance and self-improvement. "On the Shortness of Life" by Seneca is a moral essay in which Seneca brings up many Stoic principles on the nature of time, namely that people waste much of it in meaningless pursuits. According to the essay, nature gives people enough time to do what is important, and the individual must allot it properly. In general, time is best used by living in the present moment in pursuit of the intentional, purposeful life. Finally, "Enchiridion" by Epictetus is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice and an excellent summary of Stoic principles. The narration of this Stoicism collection is great for anyone interested in Stoicism and is narrated brilliantly by Johnathan Waters.

Public Domain (P)2018 Combray Media

Timeless wisdom for the ages.

Technology and scientific advances may change but the basic nature of man stays the same.


These writings which were part of any classical education still carries relevance in a period when most people do not read.


It is worth a listen to realize that wisdom and philosophical insights are timeless.The listener will learn about people and life from this well performed book.


This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Excellent

An excellent collection on stoicism. And an exercise in patience. Loved it.

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

The language in the book made me work hard

Use this book to verify material presented in other books on stoicism. The language in this book is antiquated. So sometimes when I was not fully devoured to my own comprehension, j was not getting as much out of it as might otherwise. Some of the ideas don't jive with modern society but still a lot of wisdom here.

skip to chapter 16

The only reason I can't give this audiobook a high rating is the use of the Meric Casaubon translation of Meditations. The translation is awkward and the language dated (understandable since it's from the 1600s). Other public domain translations like the one from George Long are available and easier to understand. Compare for instance one passage:
Meric Casaubon: Use thyself when any man speaks unto thee, so to hearken unto him, as that in the interim thou give not way to any other thoughts; that so thou mayst (as far as is possible) seem fixed and fastened to his very soul, whosoever he be that speaks unto thee.
George Long: Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind.
Gregory Hays: Practice really hearing what people say. Do your best to get inside their minds.
There was no credit given to any of the translators. On the Shortness of Life is from John W. Basore and The Enchiridion from Elizabeth Carter. Both are very good.
The narration is fine though a little overly dramatic at times.
There are no chapter headings but 1-15 are Meditations, 16-37 Seneca, and 38-90 Epictetus.
I'd suggest skipping the Meditations part and just reading the Gregory Hays translation.

Great Texts, challenging Audiobook

These books are better read directly than through audio. That said, The reader is sexy af.

Hard to follow

Very hard to follow. The accent of the reader is not the best for non English speakers.

Meditations was alright the rest was amazing

Meditations was super hard to follow due to the language they use!! The rest was amazing!!

Good but dry

Although a very dry and slow type read/listen it was still very beneficial if you are looking into sociology and psychology and enlightenment

A Fine Collection of Ancient Thoughts

If you are a seeker of understanding and peace of might mind, I recommend this audiobook. If you merely wish to be mystified or intellectually stimulated, you may be disappointed. Stoicism as it is presented in this format is not meant to be entertaining or clever, nor is it meant to impress anyone. These are valuable lessons for patient listeners.
The narrator did a fine job.
I was given a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

Great narration

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

I very much enjoy the narrator's voice -- he sounds noble, even regal, and well-suited to the content of Stoic literature.

I'm particularly glad that this collection includes not only Meditations, but Seneca and Epictetus. It's a great value and an excellent addition to my library.