How to Be Free

Anybody who is about to go into a party or pool with people that are likely to try our patience can benefit from reading a couple of paragraphs from this book to reaffirm one's determination to remain stoic in this disheveled wilderness. * Pennsylvania Literary Journal * It is hard to think of a book that will make a greater contribution than this one to the growing interest in Stoicism as a way of life. No one can write with more authority on Stoicism than A. A. Long. As a translator, he combines the knowledge of an influential scholar with the grace of a fine English stylist, and his accessible introduction distills a lifetime of learning. How to Be Free hits the mark beautifully. -Brad Inwood, author of Stoicism: A Very Short Introduction There really isn't anything else out there quite like this book. A. A. Long, one of the most respected scholars of Stoicism, has produced a fresh, accessible translation of Epictetus's famous manual, with an introduction that makes the philosopher's wisdom, and Stoicism more generally, accessible to all. I will recommend this edition to friends, colleagues, and anyone who might benefit from a well-thought-out and provocative philosophy of life. -Massimo Pigliucci, author of How to Be a Stoic A remarkable insight. ---Ryan Holiday, Medium Princeton University Press's new edition of Epictetus's Encheiridion and selected Discourses, titled How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life, is the latest entry in a wave of works, both popular and scholarly, on Stoicism. . . . How to Be Free seeks to bridge the worlds of both kinds of readers. Translated and introduced by Long, a renowned scholar of Stoicism and classics professor at UC Berkeley, the work presents the Greek text and English translation on facing pages. While the original text is, well, Greek to me, Long's translation is sharp and straightforward - qualities always associated with Epictetus's teachings. ---Robert Zaretsky, Los Angeles Review of Books One of Michael Dirda's Best Books of 2018