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November5,2013

9MindExpandingBooksOfPhilosophyThatAreActuallyReadable
(AGuideToPracticalPhilosophy)
RyanHoliday
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PierreSelim

VeryfewpeoplewakeupandthinkIneedphilosophy
.Thisisperfectlyunderstandable.Butofcourse,everyonehas
theirownproblemsandaredealingwiththedif
ficultiesoflifeinsomewayoranother
.
Theironyisthisisactuallywhatancientphilosophywasintendedtoameliorate.V
ainisthewordofaphilosopher
,
Epicurusoncesaid,whichdoesnothealthesuf
feringofman.Centurieslater
,Thoreauexpressedthissamethought:
Tobeaphilosopherisnotmerelytohavesubtlethoughts,noreventofoundaschool...itistosolvesomeofthe
problemsoflife,notonlytheoretically
,butpractically
.
Sufferingmightbeastrongwordtodescribemostourtravailsinlove,inbusiness,withouregos,withourur
ges,with
ourjerkofaneighborwhokeepsstealingourparkingspace.Butitturnsoutthatthiswasexactlywhatphilosophycan
helpwith.

Whateverproblemyourefacingrightnow
,someoneelseprobablyalreadywentthroughit.Andtheiradviceand
wisdomcomesdowntousthroughphilosophy
.Itwasjotteddownbyslavesandpoetsandemperorsandpoliticians
andsoldiersandordinarymenandwomentohelpwiththeirownproblemsandwiththeproblemsoftheirfriends,famil
andfollowers.Thiswisdomisthere,availabletous.
Someofthebestphilosophersneverwroteanythingdowntheyjustlivedexemplarylivesandprovidedanexample
whichwecannowlearnfrom.Thattoo,wasphilosophy
.Itwaspracticalanditwasapplicableanditmadelifebetter
.

Inahumblecontinuationofthattradition,Idlikethisposttoserveasaquickintroductiontotheworldofpractical
philosophyphilosophyyoucanactuallyreadanduseinyourownlife.Iwon
tpassalonganyofthatacademicstuf
fthat
Schopenhaueroncedismissedasfencinginthemirror
.Iwanttogiveyoutheoppositeofwhatyouprobably
experiencedincollege,whichdespitethegoodintentionsofyourprofessor
,youunderstandablyresentedand
immediatelyfor
got.Imalsogivingyouonlytheoriginaltexts,allofwhichIpromisearetotallyreadableandwillchange
yourlife.

MeditationsbyMarcusAurelius

Meditations byMarcusAurelius
Meditationisperhapstheonlydocumentofitskindevermade.Itistheprivatethoughtsoftheworld
smostpowerful
mangivingadvicetohimselfonhowtomakegoodontheresponsibilitiesandobligationsofhispositions.T
rainedin
stoicphilosophy
,Marcusstoppedalmosteverynighttopracticeaseriesofspiritualexercisesremindersdesignedto
makehimhumble,patient,empathetic,generous,andstronginthefaceofwhateverhewasdealingwith.

Well,nowwehavethisbook.Itisimminentlyreadableandperfectlyaccessible.Y
oucannotreadthisbookandnot
comeawaywithaphraseoralinethatwillhelpfultoyounexttimeyouareintrouble.Readit,itispracticalphilosophy
embodied.

LettersfromaStoicbySeneca

LettersfromaStoicbySeneca

Seneca,likeMarcus,wasalsoapowerfulmaninRome.Hewasalsoagreatwriterandfromthelooksofit,atrusted
friendwhogavegreatadvicetohisfriends.Muchofthatadvicesurvivesintheformofletters.Nowwecanreadthose
lettersandtheycanguideusthroughproblemswithgrief,wealth,poverty
,success,failure,educationandsomanyother
things.Senecawasastoicaswell,butlikeMarcus,hewaspracticalandborrowedliberallyfromotherschools.Ashe
quippedtoafriends,Idon
tcareabouttheauthorifthelineisgood.Thatistheethosofpracticalphilosophyit
doesntmatterfromwhomorwhenitcamefrom,whatmattersifitishelpsyouinyourlife,ifonlyforasecond.Readin
Senecawilldothat.(Othercollectionsofhisthoughtsaregreattoo:
PenguinsOntheShortnessofLife
isexcellent.)

InstantGrammar
Checker
GrammarlyMakesSure
EverythingYouTypeIsEffective
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TheMoralSayingsofPubliusSyrus

TheMoralSayings ofPubliusSyrus
ASyrianslaveinthefirstcenturyBC,PubliusSyrusisafountainofquick,helpfulwisdomthatyoucannothelpbut
recallandapplytoyourlife.
Riversareeasiesttocrossattheirsource.
Wantagreatempire?Ruleoveryourself.
Dividethefireandyouwillsoonerputitout.
Alwaysshunthatwhichmakesyouangry
.
ThoseareafewIrememberof
fthetopofmyhead.Butallofthemaregoodandworthyofrereadingintimesof
difficulty(orboredomorinpreparationofabigevent).

FragmentsbyHeraclitus

Fragments byHeraclitus
ThisisasephemeralasIamgoingtoget.WhilemostoftheotherpracticalphilosophyrecommendationsImmaking
arebenttowardshard,practicaladvice,Heraclitusmightseemabitpoetic.Butthosebeautifullinesarereallythesame
directadviceandtimeless,perspectivechangingobservationsastheothers.T
ryinvainwithemptytalk/toseparate
theessencesofthings/andsayhoweachthingtrulyis.
Applicantsforwisdom/dowhatIhavedone:/inquirewithin.
Characterisfate.Whateyeswitness/earsbelieveonhearsay
.
Thecropsaresold/formoneyspentonfood.

MansSearchforMeaningby
ViktorFrankl

MansSearchforMeaning byViktorFrankl

Manissenttoaconcentrationcampandfindssomewayforgoodtocomeofit.Findssomewaytoturnitintothe
ultimatemetaphorforlife:thatwehavelittlecontroloverourcircumstances,completecontroloverourattitude,andour
abilitytomakemeaningoutofthethingswhichhappentous.
InFranklscase,weareluckythathewasabrilliantpsychologistandwriterandmanagedtoturnallthisintooneofthe
mostimportantbooksofthe20thcentury
.Ithinkconstantlyofhislineaboutthemanwhoasks,Whatisthemeaningof

life?Theansweristhat
youdontgettoaskthequestion.
Lifeistheonewhoasksandwemustreplywithour
actions.

EssaysbyMontaigne

EssaysbyMontaigne
MontaignewasdeeplyinfluencedbysomeofthebooksImentionedabove.HewastheepitomeofHeraclitus
sline
aboutinquiringwithin.Somuchsothathespentbasicallytheentiresecondpartofhislifeaskinghimself(andother
people)allsortsofinterestingquestionsandthenexploringtheanswersintheformofshort,provocativeessays.(A
favorite:Whetherhewasplayingwithhiscat,orwhetherhewasthetoytohiscat).Theseessaysarealwaysgoodfora
helpfulthoughtortwobeitaboutdeath,aboutotherpeople,aboutanimals,aboutsex,oranything.
NatureandSelectedEssaysby
RalphWaldoEmerson

NatureandSelectedEssays byRalphWaldoEmerson

WhileMontaigne
sessaysaregoodformakingusthink,Emerson
sessaysmakeusact.Theyremindusthatweare
ultimatelyresponsibleforourownlife,formakingethicalchoicesandforfulfillingourpotential.IpreferEmersontoth
moreindolentThoreauandbecauseunlikemostclassicwriters,heembodiesthatuniquelyAmericandriveandambition
(butinahealthyway).IfyouhavenotreadEmerson,youshould.Ifyouhaveandyourememberfondlyhisreminders
aboutrecognizingourowngeniusintheworkofothers,orhisreminderstoexperiencethebeautyofnaturethatcounts
asphilosophy.Seehoweasyitis?
EssaysandAphorismsbyArthur
Schopenhauer

EssaysandAphorisms byArthurSchopenhauer

Schopenhauerisanotherbrilliantcomposerofquickthoughtsthatwillhelpuswithourproblems.Hisworkwasoften
concernedwiththewillourinnerdrivesandpower
.Forthatwhichisotherwisequiteindigestible,allaf
fliction,
vexation,loss,grief,timealonedigests.Buthealsotalksaboutsurprisinglycurrentissues:Newspapersarethesecond
handofhistoryandthatthehandisoftenbrokenormalfunctioning.Andofcourse,thetimelessaswell:
Hopeisthe
confusionofthedesireforathingforitsprobability
.

TheEssentialEpicurus

TheEssentialEpicurus byEpicurus

Firstoff,EpicurusphilosophyhasalmostnothingtodowithourdefinitionofthewordEpicurean.Imeanlook:Live
yourlifewithoutattractingattention.Hewhohastheleastneedoftomorrowwillmostgladlygreettomorrow
.Itis
betterforyoutobefreeoffearandlyingonabedofstrawthantoownacouchofgoldandalavishtableandyethave
nopeaceofmind.Epicuruswasateacherandaphilosopher
,andverylittleofhisworksurvives.Butthefragments
whichdoarehumble,nobleandmostlyaboutavoidingneedlessfearandanxietyinlife.Thoseareallgoodthingsare
theynot?Ironically
,Epicurusalsohasanothermorescientificsidetohimandtherearefewessayswhichgointogreat
depthaboutatoms.Imostlyskipthoseandsticktothelessonsonimperturbabilityandselfreliance.This
classicessay
onthelifeofEpicurus
isalsogreat.

MiscBiographies

ThislastthoughtwillprobablygetmeintoalittletroublebecauseIamveeringof
fwhatismoredirectlyconsidered
practicalphilosophy
.ButIthinkIamongoodgroundhere.Forstarters,CatotheY
oungerconsideredoneofthe
mostinfluentialstoicsneverwroteanythingdown.Hewasaphilosopherbyactionandsomanypeoplestudiedhis
workthroughbiographyandanecdote.ThiswasaRomantradition.Forinstance,Plutarchwrotemanybiographiesof
famoushistoricalfiguresfromDemosthenestoMarkAntonywhichfunctionasphilosophyandmoralexample.Afew
biographiesworthpickingupfortheirpracticalphilosophicvalue:
WhereMenWinGlorybyJonKrakauer(PatTillman
embodiesthetragichero).
Titan:TheLifeofJohnDRockefeller(unflappable,disciplined,ultimatelygenerousand
humbletherearealotofgoodstorieshere).ImentionedCatoearlierthemostrecentbiographyby
JimmySoniand
RobGoodmanisquitegood.IlikeFrederickDouglassautobiography
,MyBondageandMyFreedomaswellas
XenophonsCyrustheGreat(themodernbusinesstranslationismostreadable).Itrytoreadatleastonesuch
biographyamonth,togetrecommendations
starthere.
Thislistisbynomeansconclusive.Absentaremanyothergreatworksofpracticalphilosophy
,andofcourse,other
greatworksoftheoreticalandsystemicphilosophy
.Imnotsayingthosearewithoutvalue.Imjustsayingthatwhen
mostpeoplewakeupandtrytomakethemostoftheirlivesoroften,juststruggletogetbythat
snotwhattheyre
lookingfor.
Theyrelookingfor
help.Well,philosophycanbethathelp.Mostofusarejustsuspiciousbecausewewrongly
associateitwithlonglecturesorconfusingtranslations.That
sashame.
Becausetheworksabovehavelongbeenresourcesforpeoplewithallsortsofproblems,fromfighterpilotstokingsto
accountantstoconvictstoparentstoathletes.Inotherwords,unlikemostofthebigintimidating(usuallyGerman)

philosopherswhosenamesyoucannotpronounce,thisisphilosophyforoutsidetheclassroom.T
akeitwithyou,useit,
dependonit.

Imsuresomephilosophypuristsaregoingtoobjecttomyuseofthebooksaboveandmycharacterizationofsomeof
theirfavoritethinkers.ButIhopetheyunderstandthatwehavethesamegoalinmind:morepeopleusingphilosophyas
itwasintended(improvinglives).

Ihopetherestofyoufindsomesolace,aidorinspirationintheserecommendations.ThosebookschangedmylifeandI

hopetheyllchangeyours.

ReadThis
WeAreDysfunctionalBecauseWeHaveForgottenHowToThink(WhyWeShouldTeachPhilosophyIn
HighSchool)
ByMichaelShammas
GeorgeA.Dunnetal.:TrueBloodandPhilosophy
ByJessicaMiller

RyanHoliday

RyanHolidayisthebestsellingauthorofEgoistheEnemyandThe
ObstacleIsTheWay:TheTimelessArtofTurning...
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Catalogedin
ArthurSchopenhauer
Essays
EssaysandAphorisms
Fragments
Heraclitus
LettersfromaStoic
MansSearchForMeaning
MarcusAurelius
Meditations
Montaigne
NatureandSelectedEssays
Philosophy
RalphWaldoEmerson
Seneca
TheMoralSayingsofPubliusSyrus
ViktorFrankl

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35Comments
Recommend 4

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Jointhediscussion
PrashantEdassery10monthsago

ofthenewgenauthorstheoneIamquiteimpressedisthepowerofnowbyEckhartT
olle

Reply Share
AprilGalanksyayearago

MindistheMasterbyJamesAlenisagreatadditiontothelist.

Reply Share
zia ayearago

Login

zia ayearago

thanksRyan...ireadyourbook,obstacleistheway
.fromthereigottheideaofstoicism.tillnowhave
readmarcusandepictetus.ihaveneverreadsuchgoodbooks.sortofhookedtothisbranchof
philosophy.itissopeacefulandsereneafterreadingtheseauthors.incredible.
thanksforyourbook
andintroducingmetostoicism.

Reply Share
nirmal 2yearsago

Thankyouforthearticle.Howbeautifulitisthatonceanarticleiswrittenonlineitcomestopeople's
helpevenafteryears.IknowthiswaswritteninNov2013butIamreadingitinMarch2015.
1

Reply Share

RyanP.Flynn3yearsago

ThebookofEcclesiasteshasbeenhighlyinfluentialforme.
MostpeoplehaveanaversiontoitbecauseofitslocationintheBible,whichisunfortunatebecause1)
ItisreallyjustHebrewwisdomliterature,andsomeofthebestavailable,and2)Itisdebatablewhether
itevenbelongsintheBibleatall(Itprobablydoesnot,sothereshouldbesomesortofdual
satisactionforthoseuninterestedinreadingtheBible).
HermanMelvillecalleditthetruestofallbooks,andtheauthor
,useseachofhisaccomplishmentsto
drawconclusionsonwhattomakeofitall.Oftentimesphilosophytellsushowtohandlesuf
fering,but
moreimportantmaybe,iswhattodowithoursuccessesorhowtoactwhenwegetthethingswe
wanted.
Thanksagainforyourrecommendations.Ialwaysgetalotoutoftheselistsandlookforwardtomore
asyoucomeacrossthem.
6

Reply Share

mgp70613yearsago

Willanyofthesebooksgivemesome"practical"adviceonhowtoactuallyfindtimetoreadallof
thesetexts?OrdoIhavetoabandonanysortofpleasurereadingorfunorsearchfordeeperhuman
connectioninmylifesothateverythingIdoissomecombinationofany6typesofwork?

Reply Share
RyanHoliday >mgp7061 3yearsago

TCisweirdaboutlinkingbutIhaveapostcalled"HowtoReadMoreALotMore"published
hereandelsewherethatshouldhelp
2

Reply Share

______>mgp7061 3yearsago

It'sfunnythatyoucomplainaboutthesebookstakingtimeawayfromyour
"pleasurereading."I'mreallylookingforwardtopickingupacoupleoftheseandreallygetting
intothem,forfunandforeducation.OnlyonceI'mdonewithStormofSwords,thatis.
2

Reply Share
mgp7061>______ 3yearsago

Iguessthat'sprettyfunny,yeah.
2

Reply Share

NeilPerry 3yearsago

WhataboutBertrandRussell,AlanWatts,andNietzsche...justtonameafew??Althoughtheyare
moremodern,theyareincrediblyprominenttophilosophyasanevolvingstudyandareallentirely
readable.
5

Reply Share

sunkencathedral 3yearsago

Prettygoodlist,Ryan.:)MayIalsosuggesttheAnalectsofConfucius(thetranslationbyAmesand
Rosemontisthebest).Itissimilarinstyletoseveralotherbooksyouhavelisted,inthatitisfullofbite
sizedchunksofwisdomandisveryreadable.TheDaodejingisanothergreatexample,thoughnotas
easytoread.

Reply Share
DanWhitaker 3yearsago

WhatshouldIstartwith?
2

Reply Share
sunkencathedral >DanWhitaker 3yearsago

Ifyouvaluecreativity
,artandimagination,thenSchopenhauer
.Ifyouvaluesimplicityinlife
(perhapscountrylivingand/orselfsufficiency?),thenEmerson.Ifyouwanttoread
chronologically,Heraclitusistheearliest.Ifyouwanttojumpintosomethingverydeepand
moving,thenFrankl'sbookisforyou.Ifyouwantlighterideastoponderoverbreakfast,try
MarcusAurelius.Ifstoicismorastoiclifestyleinterestsyou,Senecaisagoodchoice
(althoughreadinghimafterMarcusAureliuswouldmakesense).Ifyouarefrustratedwithall
thedistractionsofthemodernworldandareinterestedinfindingasimplerformofhappiness,
Epicurusisforyou.
BONUS(unlistedbooks!):Ifyouwanttoponderwhatitmeanstoliveagoodandvirtuouslife,
tryAristotle'sNichomacheanEthics.Ifyouconsiderharmoniousrelationshipswithother
peopletobeparticularlyessentialtolifeandwanttopondertheChineseapproachtothingslike
respect,trustandgoodconduct,considertheAnalectsofConfucius(AmesandRosemont's
translation).
5

Reply Share
RyanHoliday >sunkencathedral 3yearsago

NichomacheanEthicsisgreat.Ifoundittobelesspracticalthantheoneslistedbut
definitelyagoodPhilosophy101text

Reply Share
bmurr263yearsago

LOL,youforgotthegreatestphilosophybookofalltime:AtlasShruggedbyA
ynRand!Oh...yousaid
readable...right,carryon.
2

Reply Share
dbro112>bmurr26 3yearsago

Awildneckbeardappears!
16

Reply Share

Nobody3yearsago

BookmarkedI'llhavetochecktheseout!

Reply Share

 Reply Share
ClassARando3yearsago

NoEasternphilosophicaltexts?
1

Reply Share
RyanHoliday >ClassARando 3yearsago

WasthinkingofputtingTheBookof5Ringsonhere

Reply Share
ClassARando>RyanHoliday3yearsago

Eh.Analects,TaoTeChing
1

Reply Share

MichaelT urner3yearsago

MeditationsisavailablefreeontheKindlestorerightnowifanyoneisinterested.

Reply Share
RyanHoliday >MichaelTurner 3yearsago

Almostallthesebooksarefreeinonetranslationoranother
.Butthedifferencebetweenagood
oneandabadoneisimmense.IstronglysuggestbuyingthemandbuyingthetranslationsI
mentioned
8

Reply Share

Em3yearsago

MyfavoriteworkofphilosophyisNietszche'sBirthofT
ragedy.Themetaphoricalwritingstyleisdifficult
togetusedto,butnotimpossible,andIfoundittobethemostaf
firmingbookIhaveeverread.
Definitelygoingtocheckoutsomeofthese,though.Y
oucanneverhavetoomuchphilosophyonyour
shelves(evenifyouonlybuyit,atthetime,withthepromiseof"onedayIWILLreadthis)!
2

Reply Share

Mac3yearsago

TheTaoofPoohisanothergreateasyreadforeasternphilosophy
5

Reply Share

Z.3yearsago

Yousoundlikeyou'reproselytizingreaderstotheChurchofPhilosophylol.No,butthisisagreatlist.
There'safewonhereIhaven'treadthatI'llbesuretocheckout.
1

Reply Share
RyanHoliday >Z.3yearsago

That'sthenicepartaboutphilosophy
...it'snotreallyachurch.It'sjustlifelessonsandtipsfrom
smartpeople.Taketheonesyouneedandwant,discardtheonesyoudon't.
1

Reply Share

ChrisJohnson3yearsago

IcansaythatMyBondageandMyFreedomismyveryfavoritebookonearth.

Reply Share
Guest

Guest3yearsago

ThanksforwritingthisRyan!Philosophyissoimportantandhelpful,andIthinkit'sneedlessly
intimidatingtopeoplewhoaren'tfamiliarwithit.Ifyoureadsomethingthatdoesn'tmakesense,it'snot
youbeingdumb,justkeepatitandthestylewillgeteasiertoread.(butifabookisparticularlyboring,
noneedtoslogthroughit,pickupsomethingthatlooksjuicier
.)
4

Reply Share

Guest3yearsago

Asanihilist,booksthatspeakofpurposeandmeaningmeannothingtome.ButIdoactuallylike
somephilosophymoresoinclass,whenwe'reallengagedinsomeentertainingandinteresting
conversations.:P

Reply Share
dbro112>Guest 3yearsago

"Asanihilist"??LOLfightmeIRLfggtdouevenlift?
22

Reply Share
EllBells>dbro112 3yearsago

Thaankyouuu,sir/ess
1

Reply Share

Guest>dbro112 3yearsago

LMFAO.
2

Reply Share

RyanHoliday >Guest 3yearsago

See,tomebooksthatDON'Tspeakingaboutmeaningandpurposefeellikesophistryor
intellectualmasturbation
4

Reply Share
Guest>RyanHoliday3yearsago

Mm...Justmykindofread.:)

Reply Share
0803yearsago

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