Donald Robertson on Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive — to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” — Emperor Marcus Aurelius
Built Not Born (Episode X-Ray): Best selling author Donald Robertson talks Marcus Aurelius, Stoic Philosophy, The Meditations, Seneca and why anger is bad fuel.
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Best Selling author Donald Robertson returns to Built Not Born to talk about his latest book, “Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor”.
Donald is a Cognitive Behavior Therapist and best selling author of “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor:The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.” & the graphic novel “Verissimus”.
Donald and I discuss his creative process, his thoughts on why Marcus does NOT mention Seneca in The Meditations, why Stoicism has grown in popularity and why anger is bad fuel.
3.5 Ideas from Donald Robertson:
1) Less Than 1%
- “I’m pretty sure that less than 1% of the literature that existed in the ancient world survives today.” — Donald Robertson
2) How Could Someone as Wise as Marcus Aurelius Pick Commodus as his Successor?
- “I think appointing Commodus as his successor might have been the least worse option. And I think what’s missing in a modern appraisal of this decision is that in the eyes of Marcus, and even more so I think in the eyes of the Senate, a bad emperor is better than a civil war.” — Donald Robertson
3) If Everyone Could Take One Lesson Away from “Marcus Aurelius — The Stoic Emperor” what would that lesson be?
- “What is Marcus’s journey? In some ways I think it is a journey about anger. There are many references to anger in The Meditations. Marcus opens The Meditations, the very first sentence, and says that he admired his grandfather for being free from anger. There’s a passage later in The Meditations, Book 11, Chapter 18, where he lists 10 separate cognitive strategies for dealing with anger, 10 remedies for anger. He doesn’t do that for any other problem. He says far more about the remedies for anger than for anything else.” — Donald Robertson
3.5) Describe the Book in ONE SENTENCE?
- “It’s a philosophical biography. The book allows you to step into the shoes and see the world through the eyes of the last famous stoic of antiquity.” — Donald Robertson
CLICK HERE TO LISTEN TO THIS EPISODE ON SPOTIFY
Connect with Donald Robertson:
- Website: Donald Robertson
- Book: Marcus Aurelius, The Roman Emperor
- Book: How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
- Book: Verissimus: A Graphic Novel
- IG: Donald Robertson
- Facebook: Donald Robertson
“Life is Built, Not Born.”
Joe Ciccarone
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