How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is a multidimensional book. It is in part a historical biography of Marcus Aurelius, a deep look into Stoicism, and a self-help book that provides you with modern-day therapy tools.
Summary
Donald Robertson takes us on a historical journey while giving us tools to improve our lives. And who better to use as a guide than one of the five good Emperors of Rome, Marcus Aurelius? This historical biography provides us with a deep look into his life and why he can be such a good mentor to us across ages.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor starts with Marcus Aurelius’s last moments. With this, the stage is set for the rest of the book. His death becomes the perfect backdrop for an introduction to Stoicism. Then we go to a more linear way of learning about the life of Marcus Aurelius. We find out how Marcus Aurelius grew up, what teachers he had, the people who influenced him, and how he became the emperor he turned out to be.
Along the way, we get a better understanding of what Stoicism is. It also shows us the interesting links to modern-day therapies, such as Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT). Each chapter, except for the last one, consists of these three parts. The last chapter, however, is something straight out of a historical novel. It takes us into the mind of Marcus Aurelius during his last moments. At the same time, it works as a summary of the rest of the book and the Meditations of the Emperor himself.
Review
Within a few lines, one can see that Donald Robertson knows what he is talking about. He writes with a certain familiarity that can only be done if the content is almost second nature. There is a sense of affection toward Marcus Aurelius and one can tell that he dug deep into the life of this long-gone emperor. That is what makes this book a great resource for anyone who wishes to learn more about Marcus Aurelius. It’s not just about his life, or Roman society, it’s more personal than that. It shows how he grew and the struggles he dealt with, but also the relationships he had with the people around him. His teachers and friends, and possible foes.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is a great book to start your journey into Stoicism and it gives you plenty of tools to apply to your life. It looks at all major components of this philosophy and links it to modern-day therapies, like Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. This shows the reader how profound this philosophy is and how relevant it remains. As we go through the chapters, each one deals with a different part of Stoicism. It places them in context and helps us understand it better. By showing us that Marcus Aurelius used these techniques, we don’t have any excuses not at least to try them.
Recommendation
If you are into Stoicism, Roman History, Marcus Aurelius, or need some ways to improve your life, then this book should be on your list.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is an accessible read for anyone, independent of their prior knowledge. It can either be read before or after reading the Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. One thing is for sure you’ll want to read the Emperor’s journal as well.
On my Stoic Reading List for Beginners, this one is at the top. One reason for that is because of the history it gives us, the details, but also the background to the philosophy. It’s at the same level as Massimo Pigliucci’s How to Be a Stoic, William Irvine’s A Guide to the Good Life, and David Fideler’s Breakfast with Seneca. Yet, this one stands out to me because of the links it makes between Stoicism, modern-day therapy, and the self-help genre.
Final thoughts
There is no flaw I can find in this book, as it does what it set out to do. It gives us an excellent start to applying a philosophy like Stoicism, the way it was meant to. All this is backed up by the expertise of Donald Robertson and his personal experience as a therapist. The amount of research that has been done is visible on every page, making it an excellent resource to have.
Whether you are into Stoicism, Marcus Aurelius, Roman history, or self-help, then this is the book for you. You can use this affiliate link to find the book on Amazon here. Continue here if you want to get started learning more about Marcus Aurelius.
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