It is but a blog post

Epictetus, The Handbook  (aka The Encheiridion)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

I read these two books over the course of the summer.  (This by, the way, at long last finishes writing reviews of the books I read over the summer--sadly, the books I have read since the start of the semester but have not yet reviewed are already starting to accumulate).  I started the Epictetus book right at the outset of summer, and finished the Aurelius book right as summer was ending.  These are the two Stoic classics---both great, though if you only want to read one, I'd suggest Epictetus' book--it is both shorter and better.  (And it is really short--18 pages in my edition.)  I've read both before, but one of my students borrowed Epictetus from me, and when she returned it, it was on my desk, so I picked it up and read it (it is short, after all) and then I thought it would be fun to reread Marcus Aurelius, whom I last read over a decade ago--maybe even close to 20 years ago.

Becoming more of a Stoic is ever my goal.  As Epictetus notes:
"In the case of everything attractive or useful or that you are fond of, remember to say just what sort of thing it is, beginning with the least little things.  If you are fond of a jug, say 'I am fond of a jug!' For then when it is broken you will not be upset.  If you kiss your child or your wife, say that you are kissing a human being; for when it dies you will not be upset.”

Similarly,
"When you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what sort of action it is.  If you are going out for a bath, put before your mind what happens at baths--there are people who splash, people who jostle, people who are insulting, people who steal.  And you will undertake the action more securely if from the start you say of it, 'I want to take a bath and to keep my choices in accord with nature; ' and likewise for each action.  For that way if something happens to interfere with your bathing you will be ready to say, 'Oh, well, I wanted not only this but also to keep my choices in accord with nature, and I cannot do that if I am annoyed with things that happen."

Or this,:
"You are foolish if you want your children and your wife and your friends to live forever, since you are wanting things to be up to you that are not up to you, and things to be yours that are not yours.  You are stupid in the same way if you want your slave boy to be faultless, since you are wanting badness not to be badness but something else."

Epictetus is the single best guide to parenting I have ever read.  I am constantly telling myself, "They are but children; it is in the nature of children to fail at accomplishing seemingly simple tasks like doing the dishes quickly and without endless fighting."    I am much better at being a Stoic at work than at home, though.  And when it comes to the Raiders, I am not even remotely Stoic--I am trying to work out a theory on why a perfect Stoic should, in fact, care passionately about whether the Raiders win--so far, I am having a hard time working out this theory--surely one cannot say it is in the Nature of the Raiders to lose, and thus when they do lose, why should I be terribly upset?--you can see my problem.

Marcus Aurelius' book isn't as good as Epictetus'--partly because it is longer and when you get right down to it, Stoic philosophy isn't all that complicated.  The biggest thing I noticed this time, though, was how much the translation matters in reading Meditations.  This time, I bought a new translation the book, and it was vastly better than the translation I read a long time ago.  So, if you are going to read this, I would recommend the Gregory Hays translation.