The Stoic Art of Living: Inner Resilience and Outer Results

by Tom Morris

Book Overview

Tom Morris's exuberant seminars and presentations to business leaders have taken the commanding heights of corporate America by storm and his books on philosophy for businesspeople have sold millions. Dr. Morris shows how the ideas of Stoic Philosophy - which emphasizes goals like gaining command of one's passions and achieving indifference to pain and distress - are completely up-to-date in their relevance to the practical issues people confront...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0812695593
• ISBN13: 9780812695595
• Release Date: April 2004
• Publisher: Open Court
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.59 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Stoic Philosophy for Everyday Living

If you have ever wondered if ancient philosophers' teachings can possibly be relevant today, this great book will show you how their words, and why Stoic philosophers in particular, are especially relevant in today's dynamic world. In the introduction and in the book's last paragraph, Morris explained the purpose of the book and the value of Stoic philosophy in our everyday lives: "Three thinkers in particular [Seneca, a lawyer; Epictetus, a former slave; and Marcus Aurelius, an Emperor of Rome], living during the Golden Age of Rome, saw that the strength of inner resilience is the secret to personal effectiveness; that inner peace is, for most of us, the missing link to personal happiness; and that a nobility of self-possession and emotional self-control can make all the difference for living a life in full command of its own resouces, and with a deep enjoyment of its intrinsic rewards. The Stoics saw what we need. And they left us some powerful advice about how to find it in our lives...The distinctive perspectives of the three great Stoic thinkers can help us on our way as we seek to make our difference in this world, enjoy our proper forms of success, and experience that inner happiness that otherwise might have seemed so elusive. With a little ancient wisdom to build on, we can move forward more strongly, more effectively, and more confidently into the future." The book is organized into three parts, with one part devoted to each of the three great Stoics. Morris takes the words of each thinker and shares his personal thoughts about them in the context of the struggles and challenges we face today. His perspectives are drawn from his years of experience as a major university philosophy professor, and as a widely-popular philosophical consultant to many successful organizations. I have already read and am familiar with Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius. Morris' commentary helped me to better understand and deepened my appreciation for the wisdom of those Stoic thinkers. Being totally unfamiliar with Seneca, Morris' analysis gave me a great detailed introduction to Seneca's thinking, and definitely whetted my appetite for reading his words for myself.

how to apply a stoic outlook to everyday living

There are useful examples, subjugated by easy to find chapter headings of how to use a stoic approach to deal with everyday life issues. I read this book over a year ago and still keep it handy to remind myself ways to apply stoicism in practical ways to my life situations. Very refreshing and accessible, that is not boring or stuffy.

Philosopher At Large Does It Again...

Tom Morris does what few brilliant, academic, first-rate philosophers are capable of doing--he makes philosophy accessible. Dr. Morris has that rare gift of bringing the deepest and best to the level of everyman and readers can be thankful that he is not stingy with this gift.

For Students of Self Improvement - A Must Read

This book is so good that I savored each chapter - limiting myself to one chapter a day. The advice is solid and timeless. I am buying an additional copy for a business associated and I am highly recommending the book to my students on Success.org. I intent to real all of Tom Morris's books.