Lives of the Stoics by Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman

Some books you read once. This one? You’ll return to it again and again, like a favorite bench along the Marginal Way.

An instant New York Times Advice & Business Bestseller, a USA Today Bestseller, and a Wall Street Journal #1 Bestseller, this one comes to us from the bestselling authors of The Daily Stoic. Publishers Weekly called it a “stellar work,” and the New York Times tapped it as a Noteworthy Pick. High praise. Well earned.

Nearly 2,300 years ago, a shipwrecked merchant named Zeno wandered into a bookshop in Athens (a bookseller’s heart just skipped a beat) and stumbled into a philosophy that would outlast empires. Stoicism. That ancient art of self-mastery, virtue, and letting go of what we cannot control.

Here, Holiday and Hanselman gather the lives of the Stoics themselves into a series of vivid mini-biographies. Slaves and emperors. Statesmen and outcasts. From Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius, from Seneca to Cato, each life becomes a lesson you can carry into your own.

You’ll discover that self-rule is the greatest empire. That character is fate. That the wise prepare not only for success, but for failure, learning to love the hand they’re dealt rather than merely accept it.

It’s a treasure. Part history, part guidebook, all heart. Perfect for a rainy afternoon in the cove, when the salt air rattles the windows and you’ve got nothing to do but linger over the timeless virtues of Courage, Justice, Temperance, and Wisdom.

Come find it on our shelves. We think it’ll become a friend.

Additional information