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Donald J. Robertson
Goodreads Author
Born
in Irvine, The United Kingdom
Website
Twitter
Genre
Influences
Stoicism, Philosophy, cognitive therapy
...more
Member Since
October 2011
More books by Donald J. Robertson…
Let other people witness your actions...
CommentaryWhen you do a thing which you have made up your mind ought to be done, never try not to be seen doing it, even though most people are likely to think unfavourably about it. If, however, what you are doing is not right, avoid the deed itself altogether; but if it is right, why fear those who are going to rebuke you wrongly?
Marcus Aurelius likewise says that we should do nothing that
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Donald’s Recent Updates
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
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Thanks very much for your review. We actually have more biographical information for Marcus Aurelius than we do for most figures from the ancient worl
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Donald Robertson
and
1 other person
liked
Chris Olson's review
of
Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor (Ancient Lives):
"Digestible companion piece to the meditations. Easy recommend to anyone interested in Stoicism or ancient Rome."
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Donald Robertson
and
3 other people
liked
Harley's review
of
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World:
"📘 How to Think Like Socrates – Donald J. Robertson
A great blend of philosophy and practical thinking. What I enjoyed most was learning about Socrates and the context of ancient Athens – it made the ideas feel grounded rather than abstract. The writing" Read more of this review » |
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Donald Robertson
added a status update: Check out my recent biography of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor.
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Donald Robertson
liked
Jorica Shien's review
of
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World:
"This was the first philosophy book I finished, and it left a strong impression on me. The book explains the ideas of Socrates in a very practical way, showing how his teachings can be applied in real life situations
I also enjoyed the historical conte" Read more of this review » |
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Donald Robertson
made a comment on
Dave’s review
of
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
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Thanks for the review. I was a little bit surprised that you only recalled 15% of the content being about Socrates. So I did a quick search of the man
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Thanks for the review. This is a biography of Marcus Aurelius, that's why it contains historical anecdotes. It's not intended to be a book on Stoicism
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Thanks for your review. There's a fairly detailed discussion of the use made of the Historia Augusta in the Sources Notes. It reads:
The Augustan Histo ...more " |
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Donald Robertson
joined the group
Political Philosophy and Ethics
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“From the moment we’re born we’re constantly dying, not only with each stage of life but also one day at a time. Our bodies are no longer the ones to which our mothers gave birth, as Marcus put it. Nobody is the same person he was yesterday. Realizing this makes it easier to let go: we can no more hold on to life than grasp the waters of a rushing stream.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“What matters, in other words, isn’t what we feel but how we respond to those feelings.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“To learn how to die, according to the Stoics, is to unlearn how to be a slave.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
Topics Mentioning This Author
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“The Stoics adopted the Socratic division of cardinal virtues into wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“Wisdom, in all these forms, mainly requires understanding the difference between good, bad, and indifferent things. Virtue is good and vice is bad, but everything else is indifferent.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“In typically blunt fashion he told them that sheep don’t vomit up grass to show the shepherds how much they’ve eaten but rather digest their food inwardly and produce good wool and milk outwardly.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“This is illustrated by one of Aesop’s fables, which says that each of us is born with two sacks suspended from our neck: one filled with the faults of others that hangs within our view and one hidden behind our back filled with our own faults. We see the flaws of others quite clearly, in other words, but we have a blind spot for our own. The New Testament likewise asks why we look at the tiny splinter of wood in our brother’s eye yet pay no attention to the great plank of wood obscuring our own view (Matthew 7:3–5).”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
“Freemasonry also celebrates the four cardinal virtues of Greek philosophy, which correspond symbolically with the four corners of the lodge: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.”
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
― How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius
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Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
Stoic Book Club
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This club is about traditional Stoicism with the distinct purpose of enabling and promoting discourse on Stoic philosophy as a way of life.
Donald J. Robertson hosts a Q&A.
— 10 members
— last activity Sep 12, 2020 05:49AM
I'll be available on Goodreads to answer questions about my book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. Post ques ...more
Political Philosophy and Ethics
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Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
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