Listen free for 30 days

  • The Ultimate Stoicism Collection

  • Letters from a Stoic (All 124 Letters), Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, The Enchiridion, Of Peace of Mind, Of Anger, Of Providence, The Discourses of Epictetus, The Golden Sayings of Epictetus, Fragments Attributed to Epictetus, Lives of the Eminent Philosophers: The Stoics, & Marcus Aurelius Biography
  • Written by: Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, John Lord
  • Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks cast
  • Length: 51 hrs and 29 mins
  • 5.0 out of 5 stars (3 ratings)

1 credit a month, good for any title to download and keep.
The Plus Catalogue—listen all you want to thousands of Audible Originals, podcasts, and audiobooks.
$14.95 a month plus applicable taxes after 30 day trial. Cancel anytime.
The Ultimate Stoicism Collection cover art

The Ultimate Stoicism Collection

Written by: Seneca,Marcus Aurelius,Epictetus,John Lord
Narrated by: Museum Audiobooks cast
Try for $0.00

$14.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy Now for $52.62

Buy Now for $52.62

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Tax where applicable.

Publisher's Summary

Stoicism, a school of Hellenistic thought founded in Athens in the third century BC, was one of the most sublime philosophies in the history of Western civilization. It is a way of living that focuses on reality instead of fantasy or idealism. According to its teachings, the path to peace and happiness is found in accepting the moment as it presents itself, by not allowing oneself to be ruled by the desire for pleasure or by the fear of pain.

The Ultimate Stoicism Collection includes:

  1. Letters from a Stoic (All 124 Letters) was written by Seneca during his retirement and sent to his friend Lucilius Junior, a procurator of Sicily. Seneca's major contribution to Stoicism was to humanize a system that could appear cold and unrealistic. The letters reveal how far in advance of his time Seneca's ideas were, for example his disgust at the shows in the Roman arena or his criticism of the treatment of slaves.
  2. Meditations of Marcus Aurelius is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.
  3. The Enchiridion is a collection of the most profound teachings of Epictetus who taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just a matter of theory. The Enchiridion is a canonical text of Stoic philosophy and contains all the fundamentals. Among them is the principle of not being concerned with that which is out of one’s control. Misfortune should not disturb the individual at all and should not be perceived negatively. Epictetus teaches that the only genuine value exists in virtuous action and accepting everything that happens in the world. He believed that one should do what is right and remain indifferent to criticism.
  4. Of Peace of Mind is a dialogue written by Seneca the Younger during the years 49 to 62 AD. It concerns the state of mind of Seneca's friend Annaeus Serenus, and how to cure Serenus of anxiety, worry, and disgust with life.
  5. Of Anger: With respect to the emotions, Seneca distinguishes between involuntary reactions and full-blown emotions, which involve assent and thus are voluntary. They are voluntary in the sense that assent is in the agent’s power. This is a key piece of Stoic doctrine - that whether we are foolish or wise, it is in our power to assent or not assent to impressions.
  6. "Of Providence" is a short essay in the form of a dialogue in six brief sections, to deal with the problem of the coexistence of the Stoic design of providence with the evil in the world. The dialogue is opened by Lucilius complaining with his friend Seneca that adversities and misfortunes can happen to good men too. How can this fit with the goodness connected with the design of providence? Seneca answers according to the Stoic point of view.
  7. The Discourses of Epictetus is a series of informal lectures, compiled by Seneca’s pupil Arrian. The Stoic emphasis on endurance, self-restraint, and the power of the will to withstand calamity could often appear cold and inhuman. Epictetus, however, offers the most humane interpretation of Stoic ideals by using humor, imaginary conversations, and homely comparisons to put his message across. It is a practical philosophy that directs students to focus attention on their opinions, anxieties, passions, and desires.
  8. The Golden Sayings of Epictetus: In these aphorisms, the philosopher reflects on our mortality and the knowledge that we will suffer in this life. However, each of us has the choice to endure with dignity those setbacks that we cannot control, he contends. Acceptance is core in Stoic doctrine. The wisdom of Epictetus has its roots in Socrates, confirming that we get upset by our judgement’s of circumstances, not by the circumstance itself.
  9. Fragments Attributed to Epictetus: Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life, not just a theoretical discipline. The idea that we should only focus our efforts on what is inside our sphere of choice and that we ought to train ourselves to be indifferent to what is outside that sphere is repeated throughout his Discourses and these Fragments. To Epictetus, all external events are beyond our control, and we should calmly accept whatever happens. However, individuals are responsible for their own actions, which they can examine and control through self-discipline.
  10. Lives of the Eminent Philosophers is devoted to the Stoics like Zeno of Citium, Ariston of Chios, Herillus, Dionysius the Renegade, Cleanthes, and Sphaerus.
  11. Marcus Aurelius Biography covers the life, the times, and the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius (121-180). The 17th emperor of Rome preserved and protected the Empire, mainly by keeping the Parthians in the east and the northern barbarians at bay.
Public Domain (P)2020 Museum Audiobooks

What listeners say about The Ultimate Stoicism Collection

Average Customer Ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    3
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 3.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1
  • 4 Stars
    0
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2
  • 4 Stars
    1
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

No reviews are available
Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Joshua Goulet
  • Joshua Goulet
  • 2021-04-01

Great works! Wish there were track titles...

I wish the tracks had titles to distinguish which track is which title. Having almost 600 tracks means if I want to listen to Aurelius, I play guess and check until I find it. That takes a while...

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

46 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for A from VA
  • A from VA
  • 2021-10-12

Absolutely Indispensable!

I listened to this while commuting all summer. It is vast. I thought I knew Stoicism because I had read Marcus Aurelius and a modern book or two about it, but that cannot begin to cover this rich school of thought like immersing yourself into the other surviving writings. After hearing Senneca's hundreds of letters, you get more than a sense of his philosophy - you actually start to understand his personality. I found that each of the major surviving Stoics had their own strengths and weaknesses. Anyway, I could go on and on. In short, if you are interested in Stoicism, you need primary sources. Here they are.
P.S. - Some reviewers said this was read by a computer. IT IS NOT. I do not know if these reviewers are writing about an older version, or if they are malicious, or if they just did not give this mature narrator a chance to prove to them that he was real (his style is a bit flat by some standards but you get used to it), but the main narrator and the guest narrators are living people and good to listen to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

14 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Hayder
  • Hayder
  • 2021-01-25

Impressed

Unbelievable that you can get all of this with one credit, I purchased how to think like an emperor just days ago, It made me interested in the stoic philosophy, so this seems to be a great start!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for BigZimmo
  • BigZimmo
  • 2021-12-17

Narration is awful

One of the most interesting collection of writings narrated so poorly it is intolerable. The meditations by Marcus Aurelius or letters by Seneca have a conversational tone and be fluently spoken. However is read in bunches without a sense of meaning. The words are correct but the timing is so poor that confuses the listener as to what is being said. I don’t recommend this audio book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Alonzo
  • Alonzo
  • 2021-09-24

Good but skips

I liked the book, great reference points. Just wish places didn’t skip through like a record player

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Roman
  • Roman
  • 2021-06-11

Audio is all messed up.

The audio glitches A LOT in a lot of places, makes it nearly unlistenable.

The translation at times feels inauthentic, but I haven't checked other translations, so I guess this is a non-complaint.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

4 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for julianna
  • julianna
  • 2022-12-26

wth

I have been enjoying and listening to this for a long time. I opened it up today to listen, and it is an entirely different narrator. It is also much shorter in length—hours shorter. So, wth.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Dale W Hensley
  • Dale W Hensley
  • 2022-03-19

Skips and mispronunciation

Parts of it skip like a scratched record. Narrators often mispronounce words so it’s hard to follow the texts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for rodman birtwell
  • rodman birtwell
  • 2022-02-25

Needs better narration

Had to return it because I couldn't get into the narration style. I already have the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius with a different narrator. I guess I'll seek out other single titles instead of this collection.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

2 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for totallyfrozen
  • totallyfrozen
  • 2022-03-23

Great content, poor production

The narrator is barely above terrible. While he has a mature voice, his delivery is about like listening to a high school student reading aloud in class. The other complaint is the production itself. There are many spots were the text noticeably skips. The reader may be reading a sentence, suddenly, the recording will jump to another sentence. Sometimes it simply interrupts the flow, other times it confuses the meaning of what was said. This collection was included “free” with my subscription so I cannot complain too much since I didn’t spend a credit for this. The actual information in the text is simply GOLD. Faults aside, I still recommend this collection of texts.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars
Profile Image for Defrocourt Florian
  • Defrocourt Florian
  • 2022-10-04

La collection la plus complète

J'avais adoré lire les lettres de Sénèque et j'attendais beaucoup de ce livre audio. J'ai été plutôt déçu par la lecture qui est monocorde et ennuyeuse. Parfois avec quelques répétitions...
C'est un vrai travail d'avoir lu autant d'heures. C'en est d'autant plus dommage.
Cela en fait un livre difficile à apprécier et des sagesses que j'ai laissé échapper. J'ai pris beaucoup plus de plaisir à lire le livre électronique.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful