
How to Be a Friend
An Ancient Guide to True Friendship
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Buy for $9.45
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Shaun Grindell
About this listen
In a world where social media, online relationships, and relentless self-absorption threaten the very idea of deep and lasting friendships, the search for true friends is more important than ever. In this short book, which is one of the greatest ever written on the subject, the famous Roman politician and philosopher Cicero offers a compelling guide to finding, keeping, and appreciating friends. With wit and wisdom, Cicero teaches not only how to build friendships but also why they must be a key part of our lives. For, as Cicero says, life without friends is not worth living.
Filled with timeless advice and insights, Cicero's heartfelt and moving classic - written in 44 BC and originally titled De Amicitia - has inspired people for more than 2,000 years, from St. Augustine and Dante to Thomas Jefferson and John Adams.
Presented here in a lively new translation and an inviting introduction, How to Be a Friend explores how to choose the right friends, how to avoid the pitfalls of friendship, and how to live with friends in good times and bad. Cicero also praises what he sees as the deepest kind of friendship - one in which two people find in each other "another self" or a kindred soul.
©2018 Philip Freeman (P)2018 HighBridge, a division of Recorded BooksListeners also enjoyed...
-
How to Win an Election
- An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians
- By: Quintus Tullius Cicero, Philip Freeman - translator
- Narrated by: Doug Kaye
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How to Win an Election is an ancient Roman guide for campaigning that is as up-to-date as tomorrow's headlines. In 64 BC when idealist Marcus Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, ran for consul (the highest office in the Republic), his practical brother Quintus decided he needed some no-nonsense advice on running a successful campaign.
-
-
How to be a politician ...
- By Benedict on 07-31-13
By: Quintus Tullius Cicero, and others
-
On Duties
- A Guide to Conduct, Obligations, and Decision-Making
- By: Quintus Curtius
- Narrated by: Saethon Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to this complete and easy-to-follow, explanatory edition of Cicero's On Duties, an unmatched practical guide to conduct.
-
-
Solid, with room for thought
- By Amazon Customer on 06-30-19
By: Quintus Curtius
-
On Living and Dying Well
- By: Cicero, Thomas Habinek
- Narrated by: John Hastings
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first century BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero, orator, statesman and defender of republican values, created these philosophical treatises on such diverse topics as friendship, religion, death, fate and scientific inquiry. A pragmatist at heart, Cicero's philosophies were frequently personal and ethical, drawn not from abstract reasoning but through careful observation of the world. The resulting works remind us of the importance of social ties, the questions of free will and the justification of any creative endeavour.
By: Cicero, and others
-
On the Ends of Good and Evil
- By: Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Narrated by: Derek Le Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Towards the end of his life and his career as one of the leading politicians and orators in Rome, Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE-43 BCE) was exiled to his country house. It was a time of political turmoil in the capital of the empire, caused by the power-grab of Julius Caesar. In the quiet of the countryside, Cicero began to write on philosophy. In On the Ends of Good and Evil, he set out to consider three major traditions of Greek philosophy - Epicureanism, Stoicism and a branch of Platonism.
-
-
Engaging
- By Jean on 12-27-17
-
Selections from the Writings of Cicero
- By: Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roman statesman and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote on a wide range of subjects, from Greek philosophy to moral duty to friendship. Though he considered philosophy secondary to politics and often used his writings for explicit political ends, his work has nevertheless been widely read for over two thousand years and has influenced everything from the culture of the Renaissance to the ideals of the founding fathers of the United States.
-
-
Best audio book I've listened to.
- By Edward on 09-25-17
-
How to Flourish
- An Ancient Guide to Living Well (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers Series)
- By: Aristotle, Susan Sauve Meyer - translator introduction
- Narrated by: Hannibal Hills
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is one of the greatest guides to human flourishing ever written, but its length and style have left many readers languishing. How to Flourish is a colloquial new translation by Susan Sauve Meyer that makes Aristotle's timeless insights about how to lead a good life more engaging and accessible than ever before.
-
-
foundations of human deisions
- By gymmaster on 10-01-23
By: Aristotle, and others
-
How to Win an Election
- An Ancient Guide for Modern Politicians
- By: Quintus Tullius Cicero, Philip Freeman - translator
- Narrated by: Doug Kaye
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
How to Win an Election is an ancient Roman guide for campaigning that is as up-to-date as tomorrow's headlines. In 64 BC when idealist Marcus Cicero, Rome's greatest orator, ran for consul (the highest office in the Republic), his practical brother Quintus decided he needed some no-nonsense advice on running a successful campaign.
-
-
How to be a politician ...
- By Benedict on 07-31-13
By: Quintus Tullius Cicero, and others
-
On Duties
- A Guide to Conduct, Obligations, and Decision-Making
- By: Quintus Curtius
- Narrated by: Saethon Williams
- Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Listen to this complete and easy-to-follow, explanatory edition of Cicero's On Duties, an unmatched practical guide to conduct.
-
-
Solid, with room for thought
- By Amazon Customer on 06-30-19
By: Quintus Curtius
-
On Living and Dying Well
- By: Cicero, Thomas Habinek
- Narrated by: John Hastings
- Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In the first century BC, Marcus Tullius Cicero, orator, statesman and defender of republican values, created these philosophical treatises on such diverse topics as friendship, religion, death, fate and scientific inquiry. A pragmatist at heart, Cicero's philosophies were frequently personal and ethical, drawn not from abstract reasoning but through careful observation of the world. The resulting works remind us of the importance of social ties, the questions of free will and the justification of any creative endeavour.
By: Cicero, and others
-
On the Ends of Good and Evil
- By: Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Narrated by: Derek Le Page
- Length: 9 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Towards the end of his life and his career as one of the leading politicians and orators in Rome, Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 BCE-43 BCE) was exiled to his country house. It was a time of political turmoil in the capital of the empire, caused by the power-grab of Julius Caesar. In the quiet of the countryside, Cicero began to write on philosophy. In On the Ends of Good and Evil, he set out to consider three major traditions of Greek philosophy - Epicureanism, Stoicism and a branch of Platonism.
-
-
Engaging
- By Jean on 12-27-17
-
Selections from the Writings of Cicero
- By: Marcus Tullius Cicero
- Narrated by: Robertson Dean
- Length: 8 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Roman statesman and philosopher Marcus Tullius Cicero wrote on a wide range of subjects, from Greek philosophy to moral duty to friendship. Though he considered philosophy secondary to politics and often used his writings for explicit political ends, his work has nevertheless been widely read for over two thousand years and has influenced everything from the culture of the Renaissance to the ideals of the founding fathers of the United States.
-
-
Best audio book I've listened to.
- By Edward on 09-25-17
-
How to Flourish
- An Ancient Guide to Living Well (Ancient Wisdom for Modern Readers Series)
- By: Aristotle, Susan Sauve Meyer - translator introduction
- Narrated by: Hannibal Hills
- Length: 2 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Aristotle's Nicomachean Ethics is one of the greatest guides to human flourishing ever written, but its length and style have left many readers languishing. How to Flourish is a colloquial new translation by Susan Sauve Meyer that makes Aristotle's timeless insights about how to lead a good life more engaging and accessible than ever before.
-
-
foundations of human deisions
- By gymmaster on 10-01-23
By: Aristotle, and others
-
The Epodes and Epistles
- By: Horace
- Narrated by: Charlton Griffin
- Length: 3 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As one of the supremely gifted poets of all time, one might expect great things from this collection of poetry by Horace. And these works do not disappoint. The 17 poems of the Epodes cover a variety of topics, including politics, magic, eroticism and food. A product of the turbulent final years of the Roman Republic, the collection is known for its striking depiction of Rome's sociopolitical ills in a time of great upheaval. In the Epistles, Horace reveals himself as a genuine moralist, a subtle observer of life, and a very good writer.
By: Horace
-
On the Shortness of Life, On the Happy Life, and Other Essays
- Essays, Volume 1
- By: Seneca
- Narrated by: James Cameron Stewart
- Length: 6 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As former tutor and adviser to Emperor Nero, philosopher and statesman Seneca was acutely aware of how short life can be - his own life was cut short when the emperor ordered him to commit suicide (for alleged involvement in a conspiracy). And Seneca proved true to his words - his lifelong avowal to Stoicism enabled him to conduct himself with dignity to the end. During his rich and busy life, Seneca wrote a series of essays that have advised and enriched the lives of generations down to the present day.
-
-
Completely relevant, ageless wisdom
- By Tobias A. Matejovsky on 12-13-18
By: Seneca
-
Discourses and Selected Writings
- By: Epictetus, Robert Dobbin
- Narrated by: Richard Goulding
- Length: 8 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Epictetus, a Greek stoic and freed slave, ran a thriving philosophy school in Nicropolis in the early second century AD. His animated discussions were celebrated for their rhetorical wizardry and were written down by Arrian, his most famous pupil. Together with the Enchiridion, a manual of his main ideas, and the fragments collected here, The Discourses argue that happiness lies in learning to perceive exactly what is in our power to change and what is not, and in embracing our fate to live in harmony with god and nature.
-
-
Outstanding Audible Title and performance
- By H. D. Martinez on 05-01-21
By: Epictetus, and others
-
Friendship
- The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life's Fundamental Bond
- By: Lydia Denworth
- Narrated by: Tiffany Morgan
- Length: 9 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With warmth and compassion, Denworth weaves together past and present, field biology and cutting-edge neuroscience, to show how our bodies and minds are designed to make friends, the process by which social bonds develop, and how a drive for friendship underpins human (and nonhuman) society. With its refreshingly optimistic vision of the evolution of human nature, this book puts friendship at the center of our lives.
-
-
The answer to most of our ills & pain
- By Brian on 02-22-20
By: Lydia Denworth
-
The Great Ideas of Philosophy, 2nd Edition
- By: Daniel N. Robinson, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Daniel N. Robinson
- Length: 30 hrs and 11 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Grasp the important ideas that have served as the backbone of philosophy across the ages with this extraordinary 60-lecture series. This is your opportunity to explore the enormous range of philosophical perspectives and ponder the most important and enduring of human questions-without spending your life poring over dense philosophical texts.
-
-
A Hard Review to Write
- By Ark1836 on 11-20-15
By: Daniel N. Robinson, and others
-
On the Shortness of Life
- By: Lucius Seneca
- Narrated by: Clint Arthur
- Length: 1 hr and 13 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The majority of mortals, Paulinus, complain bitterly of the spitefulness of Nature, because we are born for a brief span of life, because even this space that has been granted to us rushes by so speedily and so swiftly that all save a very few find life at an end just when they are getting ready to live. Nor is it merely the common herd and the unthinking crowd that bemoan what is, as men deem it, an universal ill; the same feeling has called forth complaint also from men who were famous.
-
-
Excellent short read on the shortness of life!
- By Amazon Customer on 11-19-15
By: Lucius Seneca
-
Jason and the Golden Fleece
- The Argonautica
- By: Apollonius of Rhodes, R. C. Seaton - translator, Nicolas Soames - translator
- Narrated by: Jonathan Keeble
- Length: 6 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Jason and the Golden Fleece is one of the finest tales of Ancient Greece, an epic journey of adventure and trial standing beside similar stories of Perseus, Theseus and the Labours of Heracles. The finest classic account comes from Apollonius of Rhodes, the Greek poet of the 3rd century BCE and librarian at Alexandria. Though less well-known than Homer's Iliad and Odyssey, and much shorter, it is an epic poem which is both exciting and moving, with remarkably vivid portraits of the main characters, Jason and Medea.
-
-
Varied but unemotional
- By Tad Davis on 04-25-19
By: Apollonius of Rhodes, and others
-
An Autobiography
- The Story of My Experiments with Truth
- By: Mohandas - Mahatma K. Gandhi
- Narrated by: Bill Wallace
- Length: 18 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A holy man to Hindus, a hero to Muslims, and a criminal to the British, Mohandas K. Gandhi was an inspiring figure of the 20th century, a man whose quest to live in accord with God’s highest truth led him to initiate massive campaigns against racism, violence, and colonialism.
-
-
Narration disappointment
- By Antonia on 06-23-11
-
Letters from a Stoic
- Penguin Classics
- By: Seneca, Robin Campbell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Seeing self-possession as the key to an existence lived 'in accordance with nature', the Stoic philosophy called for the restraint of animal instincts and the importance of upright ethical ideals and virtuous living. Seneca's writings are a profound, powerfully moving and inspiring declaration of the dignity of the individual mind.
-
-
Returned - Not "Unabridged"
- By Michael Augustus Ennis on 12-03-21
By: Seneca, and others
-
Lectures & Fragments
- By: Musonius Rufus
- Narrated by: Robin Homer
- Length: 2 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gaius Musonius Rufus was a Roman Stoic philosopher of the first century AD. He has been referred to as the Roman Socrates and is also remembered for being the teacher of Epictetus. He taught philosophy in Rome during the reign of Nero and so was sent into exile in 65 AD, returning to Rome only under Galba. Twenty-one of his lectures survive together with a few fragmentary notes from others, all of which are contained in this narration.
-
-
Amazing timeless wisdom
- By Rosy on 08-16-22
By: Musonius Rufus
-
The Enchiridion & Discourses
- By: Epictetus
- Narrated by: Haward B. Morse
- Length: 13 hrs and 16 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Enchiridion is the famous manual of ethical advice given in the second century by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Born to a Greek slave, Epictetus grew up in the environment of the Roman Empire and, having been released from bonds of slavery, became a stoic in the tradition of its originators, Zeno (third Century BCE) and Seneca (first century CE).
-
-
Inspiration from thousands of years ago
- By Jose on 07-30-17
By: Epictetus
-
Le Morte d'Arthur
- The Death of Arthur
- By: Sir Thomas Malory
- Narrated by: Bill Homewood
- Length: 38 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Of all the legends of Western civilization, perhaps the glorious adventures of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table are the best known. The Quest for the Holy Grail, and the undying illicit love between Sir Launcelot and Queen Guenevere, have provided inspiration for storytellers and poets down the ages, and sparked so many films and books of our own time.
-
-
Brilliant and powerful
- By Tad Davis on 05-19-21
Best translation and performance
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Am I a friend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
How to be a friend
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Fast with Ancient Wisdom
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
What stood out for me was the notion that only good/virtuous people can be true friends. I had not considered this until today but I think it is spot on.
Enjoyed this enough that I am buying a copy for my adult daughter. A productive use of my time.
Shockingly relevant in 2020
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A True Friend Must Read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Powerful Point of View
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good practicle advise
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Eye Opening Read
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Friendship defined in it's many varied forms.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.