How to Be Content: An Ancient Poet's Guide for an Age of Excess

Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers

by Horatius, Stephen J. Harrison (Contributor)

What the Roman poet Horace can teach us about how to live a life of contentment

What are the secrets to a contented life? One of Rome's greatest and most influential poets, Horace (65-8 BCE) has been cherished by readers for more than two thousand years not only for his wit, style, and reflections on Roman society, but also for his wisdom about how to live a good life--above all else, a life of contentment in a world of materialistic excess and personal pressures. In How to Be Content, Stephen Harrison, a leading authority on the poet, provides fresh, contemporary translations of poems from across Horace's works that continue to offer important lessons about the good life, friendship, love, and death.

Living during the reign of Rome's first emperor, Horace drew on Greek and Roman philosophy, especially Stoicism and Epicureanism, to write poems that reflect on how to live a thoughtful and moderate life amid mindless overconsumption, how to achieve and maintain true love and friendship, and how to face disaster and death with patience and courage. From memorable counsel on the pointlessness of worrying about the future to valuable advice about living in the moment, these poems, by the man who famously advised us to carpe diem, or "harvest the day," continue to provide brilliant meditations on perennial human problems.

Featuring translations of, and commentary on, complete poems from Horace's Odes, Satires, Epistles, and Epodes, accompanied by the original Latin, How to Be Content is both an ideal introduction to Horace and a compelling book of timeless wisdom.

Genres: Philosophy, Poetry, Nonfiction, Classics, History, Psychology, Audiobook

256 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2020

About the author

Odes and Satires Roman lyric poet Quintus Horatius Flaccus exerted a major influence on English poetry.

(December 8, 65 BC – November 27, 8 BC)

Horace, the son of a freed slave, who owned a small farm, later moved to Rome to work as a coactor, a middleman between buyers and sellers at auctions, receiving 1% of the purchase price for his services. The father ably spent considerable money on education of his son, accompanied him first to Rome for his primary education, and then sent him to Athens to study Greek and philosophy.

After the assassination of Julius Caesar, Horace joined the army, serving under the generalship of Brutus. He fought as a staff officer (tribunus militum) in the battle of Philippi. Alluding to famous literary models, he later claimed to throw away his shield and to flee for his salvation. When people declared an amnesty for those who fought against the victorious Octavian Augustus, Horace returned to Italy, only to find his estate confiscated and his father likely then dead. Horace claims that circumstances reduced him to poverty.

Nevertheless, he meaningfully gained a profitable lifetime appointment as a scriba quaestorius, an official of the Treasury; this appointment allowed him to practice his poetic art.

Horace was a member of a literary circle that included Virgil and Lucius Varius Rufus, who introduced him to Maecenas, friend and confidant of Augustus. Maecenas became his patron and close friend and presented Horace with an estate near Tibur in the Sabine Hills (contemporary Tivoli). A few months after the death of Maecenas, Horace died in Rome. Upon his death bed, Horace with no heirs relinquished his farm to Augustus, his friend and the emperor, for imperial needs, and it stands today as a spot of pilgrimage for his admirers.

Reviews

[Maddy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really enjoying this series from Princeton University Press, they are easy to read and understand Philosophy for the masses, and these books are a great introduction to some of the most influential philosophers of our history. The themes presented in the different books are still relevant to this day and particularly good for those readers who would actually like to read philosophy and understand it. They have reinvigorated my interest in reading philosophy again (its been a while) and I intend to make my way through all twenty four of them.

[Massimo Pigliucci · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another winning entry in Princeton Press' Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series. I must admit that I rarely read poetry, much preferring prose. But translator Stephen J. Harrison has done an excellent job at making the text come alive. Moreover, Harrison has connected the various poems thematically, providing informative and clear explanations of what Horace (he of "carpe diem" fame) was up to in each case. The book is divided into four sections: The search for the good life, The importance of friendship, Love and the problem of passion, and Death as the final frontier (with apologies to Star Trek). The collection is a splendid example of how philosophy can be rendered in poetic form, a rare instance of the Platonic dictum that beauty is truth. At least some of the times.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this series of books, as they are a fantastic and interesting way to dip into some of the ancient writers and the themes they engage with. This volume is another very good contribution. I had never read anything by Horace before, but the contributions in this volume are a helpful starting point. As the rest of the series, Horace is introduced very helpfully in few words, and the editorial notes are extremely helpful.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second title in Princeton's Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers series that I have read. Quintus Horatius Flaccus Horace was a great Roman poet whose verse echoes and re-echoes through the centuries. How to Be Content: An Ancient Poet's Guide for an Age of Excess takes selections from Horace's odes, epistles, and satires and applies them to our own lives today.

Somehow, it is sobering to see how some individuals more than two thousand years ago have learned how to live, love, and die -- whereas we moderns seem to have a more difficult time of it:

Whether
Jupiter has given you further winters
Or this one is your last, which is now
wearing out the Tyrrhenian sea
With pebbles in its path, be wise, strain
your wine and cut back
Long-springing hope within a small
space: as we speak, time the envious
Will have fled away. Harvest the present
day, trust minimally in the next.

And that's where the famous phrase carpe diem (seize the day) comes from.

[MP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Too short, too shallow and sometimes repetitive in its message. The themes covered are : Contentment, Love, Friendship and Death. Some verses were good but most of them were not . I didn't find Horace as great as I initially imagined.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

More unnecessary commentary than poetry. A contemporary reader is unlikely to actually be inspired by the ethical arguments - a condemnation of wealth by a rich guy, "friendship" as sucking up to a benefactor, etc.

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

Underwhelming. Too short and repetitive without enough depth to really sink into. I've liked quite a few writings from ancient philosophers, but Horatius did nothing for me.

[Frobisher Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful little compilation of poetry by Classical Roman poet and practical philosopher, Horace (Horatius), rendered in the original Latin as well as in some decent, certainly passable English verse by Stephen Harrison, whose expert commentary is also quite welcome. The choices are arranged by the topics of finding the good life, friendship, love (and lust), and, the final frontier for us all, as Horace reminds us frequently: death. Selections are pulled from the full range of Horace's works, Odes and Epistles featuring most heavily.

I really enjoyed reading this, and if the other editions in the Princeton little hardcovers series of "Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers" are of similar quality, I could see myself having a number of them in my personal library. Very recommended as an introduction to the poetry and wisdom of Horace.

[Paul Womack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a good introduction to Horace, and the series on ancient wisdom for modern readers of which this is a volume. I much enjoyed.

[Aaron · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5 stars
I came to this hoping for something genuinely useful — ancient wisdom on how to live well, made accessible for a modern reader. And on paper that's exactly what How to Be Content promises. Stephen Harrison has curated a selection of Horace's poems around the theme of contentment, with his own commentary and framing to guide you through them. It's a good idea for a book.

The problem is Horace himself. The more I read, the more his underlying philosophy got in the way. He doesn't believe in an afterlife, yet he invokes the Roman gods — Apollo, Diana, Jupiter — constantly throughout the poems. I found that contradiction really hard to get past. What does he think these gods actually are or do, if death is simply the end? It makes all the religious imagery feel hollow, like decoration with nothing behind it. And when you strip his advice back to its core it's just: this life is all there is, so take what you can from it. For someone who believes in an afterlife, that's not just an incomplete worldview — it points in completely the wrong direction.

I know Horace is considered both Stoic and Epicurean in his influences, but personally I don't see him aligning with Stoic values at all. He reads to me as far more Epicurean — focused on pleasure, moderation, and personal contentment in the here and now. So framing him as a source of Stoic wisdom felt misleading. If you want that kind of thinking done properly, the Greeks do it so much better. Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, the earlier Greek Stoics — they're asking what it means to live rightly regardless of what you have. Horace is just saying enjoy it while it lasts.

Beyond the philosophy, most of the poems themselves felt self-absorbed and at times almost self-loathing — a man going round in circles with his own anxieties and preferences, never really reaching beyond himself. There is one exception worth mentioning: his love poems contain an idea I genuinely respected, his preference for a difficult partner who will stay over an easy partner who will leave. That feels like real wisdom, valuing loyalty over convenience. It's just frustrating that the rest of his work doesn't follow that same instinct.

The saving grace of the book is Harrison. His commentary and framing do a lot of heavy lifting — providing context, drawing connections, and trying to shape the poems into something more meaningful than they manage on their own. I came away more impressed by his scholarship than by Horace himself. Without Harrison's sections I don't think this would have much to offer a general reader at all.

If you want ancient wisdom that takes the afterlife seriously and holds up as a guide for living — skip Horace and go straight to the Greeks.

[Peter Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being content is a more realistic goal than being happy. I am mostly content with my life, but how content I am varies from day to day. I am very pleased with the friends I have and the communities I am part of. My financial situation is stable and for that I am grateful. I am lucky to own my own house and not be dependent on a car. I enjoy the work I do and I think that it helps people. Physically, I am coming to grips with getting older and dealing with chronic injuries. This remains a challenge. When I talk to my therapist he reminds me that overall I have a good life. Nevertheless, I start every morning filled with anxiety. It usually goes away as the day unfolds. It helps me to see other people. When I talk with someone I know my social side comes out and my social side is usually cheerful. Horace’s advice for being content is mostly what we now view as common sense. Value friendship above money or fame. Don’t be afraid of death for it comes to us all. Don’t worry about the things you can’t change. How to be Content is part of series of books about ancient wisdom for modern readers. While some of Ancient Greek philosophy is concerned with metaphysics and is quite difficult to understand, much of it is about living a good life. Stoicism is the philosophy that is most popular as a form of contemporary self-help. In its original form it could be quite harsh. More than one Stoic philosopher says that you should be able to deal with the death of your children because it is not something under your control, so it is not something to be upset about. That seems crazy to me.

[Bryan Olin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a first introduction to Horace for me. Stephen Harrison did a great job modernizing the translation and providing context for the poems. Similar (at least to me) to Cicero and Seneca, the writing was beautiful and evocative, which was balanced by a heavy dose of pragmatism on how to get on in Roman society.

I've only started to learn a bit of Latin, so it was surprising to me how compact the language is and how small sections of poetry were unpacked by Harrison into longer English translations.

Overall, I really appreciated Horace's exhortations to be content, enjoy what you have, and to surround yourself with rural beauty as a tonic to the hustle-bustle of city life. I'm now a fan of Horace, just as I'm becoming a fan of his inspiration, Epicurus. Taking a cue from Harrison, I'm motivated to dive into Horace's complete works (which are pretty compact)-but with the internet at my side to look up place and people names to attempt get the context, albeit not as ably provided by Harrison.

[Dan Mantena · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book show the key elements of a good life according to values of the Ancient Greeks and Romans.

Contentment is based on culativating oneself by
- staying present,
- enjoying one's lot,
- cultivating good friendship,
- avoid falling into passions
- contemplate death and prepare for it mentally.

The concepts are not groundbreaking and have been expounded by others of the past (Socrates, Stoic).

my rating - overall Score: 1.2/5.0
- quality of writing (3/5)
- quality of the content (1/5)
- impact on my perspective (1/5)
- personal resonance (1/5)
- rereading potential (0/5)

[Scott Satterwhite · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was OK, but was hoping for a little more. I like this series, but the best part for a lot of them are the history in the intro. This was well curated, and it feels weird to critique a poet whose work has withstood 2000 years, but I was hoping for something more than standard stoic thought. That said, I liked hearing the stoicism of the age written through the mind of a poet. I'd be lucky if my poetry lasts over a year after I'm gone, so he's doing better than me, even if this book wasn't my cup of tea.

[LPosse1 Larry · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful little book and an excellent introduction to Horace. I’m not a big reader of ancient poetry but I will explore more in the future.
As I’ve read a fair share of ancient philosophy recently, a quality translation goes a long way! Stephen Harrison’s translation is a home run! His commentary was outstanding as well.

[Wanda Singela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Almost DNF'd this - persevered, but I must say that it's my least favourite book in the series. I don't think I even remember what I just read - want less, accept things and exercise forbearance when it comes to your friends? Living like that and being on that "memento mori" tip... apparently that's how one becomes more content?

[Levi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic introduction to Horace and his poetry. Stephen Harrison has done an excellent job of discussing the meaning and circumstances of individual poems, whilst keeping them within certain themes throughout the book.

Another concrete reminder that not much has changed in 2000 years, we are much closer to our ancestors than we think.

[Bryan Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid collection of poems that reflect on the most important aspects of life, love, and death. The translator does a great job of framing historical references and relaying why they matter for the philosophical topic at hand.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book to read in one sitting. There’s nothing in here that you have not already told yourself the last time you were bellyaching about something, but it’s good to be reminded of the essentials. It’s a good pick me up.

[Noah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the first and last chapters “The Search for the Good Life” and “Death — the Final Frontier” (4 stars). The two others were good but not directly on the topic of contentment (3 stars).

[Elysia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun introduction to Horace’s poetry. It was my first attempt at Horace, so I was thankful to have my hand held, and have someone else do the selecting, theme-finding, and explaining. It was short, approachable, and interesting.

[Miles Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but probably not as good as the other titles in this otherwise outstanding series from Princeton. Harrison ends up sounding a bit too modern in the attempt to make Horace relevant. It wasn’t a bad work, but it wasn’t as good in my opinion is other words in the series.

[Gabby Zabek · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so reminiscent of my university English classes it makes my heart ache a little bit. Only problem is I’m not the biggest fan of Horace’s work, nor am I very familiar with it, but still really interesting to really about one scholar’s interpretation of another.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Way over my head as I’m woefully ignorant of poetry, Roman history and philosophy. I’m content though, so there’s that.

[Rodrigo Paredes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was originally going to give it 3 stars, but I really liked the poems on death.

[Jake]

Highlights were "Death" and how to become a better friend to all.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Treasure the day, remember you are dying. Don’t expect tomorrow to come.

[Željko Filipin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was listening to audiobook, so it's hard to tell, but my estimate is that the book is about 20% poems by Horatius, 80% commentary. Still very interesting advice on life from a couple millennia ago.

[Roy Kenagy · Rating 4 out of 5]

RK AUDIBLE

[koz]

not my speed