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Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. Bottom line: judge your success in life by how well you make your decisions, not by your outcome. You have full control of you

Meditations, by Marcus Aurelius. Bottom line: judge your success in life by how well you make your decisions, not by your outcome. You have full control of your decisions, and often no control at all over their results.

Balgair 8y ago
A similar line of thinking is Annie Duke's Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts. A good discussion on the book can be found here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-better-decisions/ https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-better-d... Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0735216355/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1549391677&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0735216355/ref=tmm_h...
- agumonkey 8y ago
  reminds me of the dice man
- personlurking 8y ago
  The idea of "Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts" reminds me of this TED Talk: "If you ever struggle to make decisions, here's a talk for you. Cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths shows how we can apply the logic of computers to untangle tricky human problems, sharing three practical strategies for making better decisions -- on everything from finding a home to choosing which restaurant to go to tonight." https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_griffiths_3_ways_to_make_better_decisions_by_thinking_like_a_computer https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_griffiths_3_ways_to_make_bette...
- HNLurker2 8y ago
  Reminds me of Little Bets by Peter Sims
pmoriarty 8y ago
If you enjoyed Marcus Aurelius, you'd probably enjoy reading Seneca. "On The Shortness of Life"[1] is my favorite work of his, though there are many other gems among his letters. [1] - https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pdf https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pd...
- acabal 8y ago
  I'm a big Seneca fan. You can read all of Seneca's dialogues, including "On the Shortness of Life", for free at Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/dialogues/aubrey-stewart https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/dialogues/aubrey-st...
robin_reala 8y ago
The George Long translation is available as a proofed and libre ebook at SE if anyone wants to read it: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditations/george-long https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditation...
tejinderss 8y ago
If you are interested in stoicism, 'stoicism and the art of happiness' is a good book
krzysztof 8y ago
I also liked this book. Also because it shows how similar problems people had then. For more stoicism I would recommend "Daily Stoic". It's one meditation per day. https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance-ebook/dp/B01HNJIJB2 https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Persev...
taberiand 8y ago
Meditations is what immediately came to my mind also. It's a humbling and reassuring look into the mind of a great leader and stoic; to know that there was this man, the most powerful in his time, who strived - and struggled - to be the best he could, is inspiring.
- HNLurker2 8y ago
  Are we really going that low to take beliefs from WER (white, educated, rich) people? I mean wasn't Seneca the rich man during that time? And also Marcus Aurelius book doesn't seem appealing to read because it was never meant to be published.
  - englishrookie 8y ago
    About the 'white' part: the Roman empire apparently did not categorize people based on something as superficial as their skin color: "physiognomy did not function as a criterion of social status in the Roman system of stratification". [1] [1] https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V1N4/thompson.html https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V1N4/thompson.htm...
FabHK 8y ago
I found William Irving's A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy a very legible contemporary (if somewhat idiosyncratic) introduction to Stoic thought, and maybe more accessible/applicable than the classic sources.
- crucini 8y ago
  I'd like to read it. Of course, there's the Enchiridion: http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html Which is quite short.
  - FabHK 8y ago
    Standard Ebooks has it, too: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/the-enchiridion/elizabeth-carter https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/the-enchiridion/...
- johnisgood 8y ago
  It was more accessible to me. There is a lot of misunderstanding of who a stoic is, and what stoicism is. I think this book clears it up well.
  - HiroshiSan 8y ago
    I really enjoyed this book, I'd recommend it as a first read into stoicism over meditations. He gave some really great examples of how to apply stoicism in today's world.
    - johnisgood 8y ago
      Exactly! This book is my recommendation as well to everyone who seeks to learn more about stoics. It is easy to understand, you can relate to the things said, and it is practical! It makes you think and challenges your beliefs as you go on and on. It makes sense!
personlurking 8y ago
Is an outcome not the other side of the decision-making coin? I understand that the outcome should not carry all the weight, but it surely often carries a lot of the weight of a particular decision. That is, how does one get good at making decisions? By seeing positive results flow from them.
- LyndsySimon 8y ago
  > Is an outcome not the other side of the decision-making coin? No, and that's the key. You cannot truly control outcomes, so judging your life and self-worth on them is leaving your happiness and fulfillment to chance. > That is, how does one get good at making decisions? By seeing positive results flow from them. Nope. You get better at decision-making by being reflective about your past decisions. Outcomes can be a factor in that, but only insofar as they can point you to the realization that you missed information that was available to you. There are many decisions in life where there is no "good" outcome. There are some where the "good" outcome is catastrophic for you personally, and that catastrophe is avoidable if you compromise your ethics. If you see a child drowning in a river and know that there's a good chance that you will die if you attempt to rescue them, rational self-interest alone tells you to walk on by. Stoicism puts a layer on top of that - can you live with yourself without regret if you do that? Are you willing to accept the risks to live up to your own standards?
ohaideredevs 8y ago
I liked him from his quotes and his biography - the book didn't add much at all. If anything, I like him less after having read it.

Balgair 8y ago

A similar line of thinking is Annie Duke's Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts. A good discussion on the book can be found here: https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-better-decisions/ https://www.artofmanliness.com/articles/how-to-make-better-d... Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0735216355/ref=tmm_hrd_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1549391677&sr=8-1 https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0735216355/ref=tmm_h...

agumonkey 8y ago
reminds me of the dice man
personlurking 8y ago
The idea of "Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts" reminds me of this TED Talk: "If you ever struggle to make decisions, here's a talk for you. Cognitive scientist Tom Griffiths shows how we can apply the logic of computers to untangle tricky human problems, sharing three practical strategies for making better decisions -- on everything from finding a home to choosing which restaurant to go to tonight." https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_griffiths_3_ways_to_make_better_decisions_by_thinking_like_a_computer https://www.ted.com/talks/tom_griffiths_3_ways_to_make_bette...
HNLurker2 8y ago
Reminds me of Little Bets by Peter Sims

pmoriarty 8y ago

If you enjoyed Marcus Aurelius, you'd probably enjoy reading Seneca. "On The Shortness of Life"[1] is my favorite work of his, though there are many other gems among his letters. [1] - https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pdf https://tripinsurancestore.com/4/on-the-shortness-of-life.pd...

acabal 8y ago
I'm a big Seneca fan. You can read all of Seneca's dialogues, including "On the Shortness of Life", for free at Standard Ebooks: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/dialogues/aubrey-stewart https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/seneca/dialogues/aubrey-st...

robin_reala 8y ago

The George Long translation is available as a proofed and libre ebook at SE if anyone wants to read it: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditations/george-long https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/marcus-aurelius/meditation...

tejinderss 8y ago

If you are interested in stoicism, 'stoicism and the art of happiness' is a good book

krzysztof 8y ago

I also liked this book. Also because it shows how similar problems people had then. For more stoicism I would recommend "Daily Stoic". It's one meditation per day. https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Perseverance-ebook/dp/B01HNJIJB2 https://www.amazon.com/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Wisdom-Persev...

taberiand 8y ago

Meditations is what immediately came to my mind also. It's a humbling and reassuring look into the mind of a great leader and stoic; to know that there was this man, the most powerful in his time, who strived - and struggled - to be the best he could, is inspiring.

HNLurker2 8y ago
Are we really going that low to take beliefs from WER (white, educated, rich) people? I mean wasn't Seneca the rich man during that time? And also Marcus Aurelius book doesn't seem appealing to read because it was never meant to be published.
- englishrookie 8y ago
  About the 'white' part: the Roman empire apparently did not categorize people based on something as superficial as their skin color: "physiognomy did not function as a criterion of social status in the Roman system of stratification". [1] [1] https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V1N4/thompson.html https://scholar.lib.vt.edu/ejournals/ElAnt/V1N4/thompson.htm...

FabHK 8y ago

I found William Irving's A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy a very legible contemporary (if somewhat idiosyncratic) introduction to Stoic thought, and maybe more accessible/applicable than the classic sources.

crucini 8y ago
I'd like to read it. Of course, there's the Enchiridion: http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html http://classics.mit.edu/Epictetus/epicench.html Which is quite short.
- FabHK 8y ago
  Standard Ebooks has it, too: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/the-enchiridion/elizabeth-carter https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/epictetus/the-enchiridion/...
johnisgood 8y ago
It was more accessible to me. There is a lot of misunderstanding of who a stoic is, and what stoicism is. I think this book clears it up well.
- HiroshiSan 8y ago
  I really enjoyed this book, I'd recommend it as a first read into stoicism over meditations. He gave some really great examples of how to apply stoicism in today's world.
  - johnisgood 8y ago
    Exactly! This book is my recommendation as well to everyone who seeks to learn more about stoics. It is easy to understand, you can relate to the things said, and it is practical! It makes you think and challenges your beliefs as you go on and on. It makes sense!

personlurking 8y ago

Is an outcome not the other side of the decision-making coin? I understand that the outcome should not carry all the weight, but it surely often carries a lot of the weight of a particular decision. That is, how does one get good at making decisions? By seeing positive results flow from them.

LyndsySimon 8y ago
> Is an outcome not the other side of the decision-making coin? No, and that's the key. You cannot truly control outcomes, so judging your life and self-worth on them is leaving your happiness and fulfillment to chance. > That is, how does one get good at making decisions? By seeing positive results flow from them. Nope. You get better at decision-making by being reflective about your past decisions. Outcomes can be a factor in that, but only insofar as they can point you to the realization that you missed information that was available to you. There are many decisions in life where there is no "good" outcome. There are some where the "good" outcome is catastrophic for you personally, and that catastrophe is avoidable if you compromise your ethics. If you see a child drowning in a river and know that there's a good chance that you will die if you attempt to rescue them, rational self-interest alone tells you to walk on by. Stoicism puts a layer on top of that - can you live with yourself without regret if you do that? Are you willing to accept the risks to live up to your own standards?

ohaideredevs 8y ago

I liked him from his quotes and his biography - the book didn't add much at all. If anything, I like him less after having read it.