The Manual: A Philosopher's Guide to Life

Life's Missing Instruction Manual Epictetus (c. 50-135 CE) was brought as a slave to Rome, where he became a great teacher, deeply influencing the future emperor Marcus Aurelius among many others. His philosophy, Stoicism, was practical, not theoretical--aimed at relieving human suffering here and now.

And Epictetus knew suffering. Besides being a former slave, he was lame in one leg and walked with a crutch. After a decade of teaching in Rome, he was banished by Emperor Domitian; undaunted, he established a school in Greece.

The Manual is a collection of Epictetus' essential teachings and pithy sayings, compiled by his closet student. It is the most accessible and actionable guide to Stoic philosophy, as relevant today as it was in the Roman Empire.

This new edition is rendered in contemporary English, with a foreword, by Sam Torode. A companion volume, The Meditations: An Emperor's Guide to Mastery by Marcus Aurelius, is also available from Ancient Renewal.