
That One Should Disdain Hardships
The Teachings of a Roman Stoic
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Narrated by:
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Sean Pratt
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By:
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Musonius Rufus
About this listen
Perennial wisdom from one of history’s most important but lesser-known Stoic teachers
“He knew that all a philosopher could do was respond well—bravely, boldly, patiently—to what life threw at us. That's what we should be doing now.”—Ryan Holiday, Reading List email
The Stoic philosopher Musonius Rufus was one of the most influential teachers of his era, imperial Rome, and his message still resonates with startling clarity today. Alongside Stoics like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, he emphasized ethics in action, displayed in all aspects of life. Merely learning philosophical doctrine and listening to lectures, they believed, will not do one any good unless one manages to interiorize the teachings and apply them to daily life.
In Musonius Rufus’s words, “Philosophy is nothing else than to search out by reason what is right and proper and by deeds to put it into practice.” At a time of renewed interest in Stoicism, this collection of Musonius Rufus’s lectures and sayings, beautifully translated by Cora E. Lutz with an introduction by Gretchen Reydams-Schils, offers listeners access to the thought of one of history’s most influential and remarkable Stoic thinkers.
This audiobook is expertly read by Sean Pratt, with audio engineering by Sam Platt. It was produced and published by Echo Point Books & Media, an independent bookseller in Brattleboro, Vermont.
©2020 Yale University. English translation originally published in Yale Classical Studies volume 10 by Yale University Press in 1947 (P)2025 Echo Point Books & Media, LLCListeners also enjoyed...
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- By: Musonius Rufus
- Narrated by: Robin Homer
- Length: 2 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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.
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By: Musonius Rufus
-
Letters from a Stoic
- Penguin Classics
- By: Seneca, Robin Campbell
- Narrated by: Julian Glover
- Length: 7 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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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.
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- By Michael Augustus Ennis on 12-03-21
By: Seneca, and others
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- Length: 10 hrs and 8 mins
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Overall
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Performance
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- By Jordan Bailey on 10-03-20
By: Ryan Holiday, and others
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The Philosopher's Toolkit: How to Be the Most Rational Person in Any Room
- By: Patrick Grim, The Great Courses
- Narrated by: Patrick Grim
- Length: 12 hrs and 2 mins
- Original Recording
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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This should NOT be an audio book
- By Brooks Emerson on 03-21-20
By: Patrick Grim, and others
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- What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us About Our Search for Good Leaders
- By: Massimo Pigliucci
- Narrated by: Alan Carlson
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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