Book · 2019
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor
by Donald Robertson
Donald Robertson follows Marcus Aurelius from student to emperor, using the Meditations as a manual for cognitive therapy anyone can apply today.
What does Reddit think of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor?
r/Stoicism accounts for 154 of those mentions, making this the subreddit's dominant modern Stoicism text by volume. The sentiment is broadly positive and consistent across every year from 2019 through 2026. Robertson himself is active on the sub — the ↑435 comment is his, responding to a reader who found the Meditations melancholy, and his engagement is cited as part of why the book lands. The ↑149 comment credits the book with getting them into Stoicism specifically, pairing it with a note that therapy can complement the philosophy. r/Stoicism ranks it in a top-five list (↑100) alongside Meditations, On Benefits, Seneca's Essays, and Epictetus's Discourses. The chapter on the Contemplation of Death (↑88) gets named specifically, praised for treating the subject without making it taboo. One r/philosophy mention exists, from 2020, which barely registers.
Community feedback & reader fit
Themes
- · Marcus Aurelius as a biographical subject
- · Stoic exercises applied to modern psychology
- · Memento Mori and the contemplation of death
- · Cognitive behavioral therapy parallels
- · The Meditations as a personal practice document
Common praise
- + r/Stoicism (↑149) credits the book with being what got them into Stoicism, recommending it specifically for readers struggling with mental illness.
- + Robertson's chapter on the Contemplation of Death (↑88) gets singled out for treating mortality as something to think through rather than avoid.
- + The author engages directly on r/Stoicism, including responding to misreadings of Marcus — the ↑435 comment is his own correction of the 'melancholy' interpretation.
- + r/Stoicism places it in the top five Stoic texts alongside the Meditations and Seneca (↑100), which is unusual for a modern book.
Common criticism
- − The final chapter, Robertson acknowledges at ↑119, is largely paraphrased from the Meditations and reorganised — a caveat worth knowing before reading it as original synthesis.
- − At 154 r/Stoicism mentions, it's nearly absent from r/philosophy, suggesting limited uptake in academic philosophy discussions.
- − Some beginner threads recommend it primarily as a gateway to Stoicism rather than as a standalone study, which puts a ceiling on how it's used.
- − The book's warm reception on r/Stoicism may partly reflect Robertson's personal presence there, which is a confound worth acknowledging.
Who it's for
You want Marcus Aurelius but you want the biographical scaffolding first. Robertson builds the emperor's life around his philosophical development, so the Meditations make more sense after. If you're new to Stoicism and the primary sources feel like cold water, this is the recommended warm-up across 154 r/Stoicism mentions. The ↑149 comment specifically pairs it with therapy for readers dealing with mental illness — it functions as an introduction to cognitive reframing even if you never pick up Epictetus afterward. Readers already deep in the Stoic canon will find the death chapter still worth their time.
Mentions over time
Top subreddits
Which Reddit comments matter for How to Think Like a Roman Emperor?
Top-upvoted quotes across the subreddits where this book is mentioned. Click through to read the full thread.
“I'm the author of *How to Think Like a Roman Emperor*. I hope it doesn't come across like that. That's definitely not how I view Marcus myself. Certainly some people have claimed to find the *Meditations* melancholy but the themes, such as death and pain, which it deals with, although of relevanc…
“How to Think Like a Roman Emperor might help you out, it’s what got me into stoicism. I don’t know if you’ve been to therapy, but if you’re really struggling with mental illness then they can help you develop skills …
“Going to the gym doesn't make me stronger. I went online, found Arnold Schwarzenegger's guide, downloaded it and went to the gym once. The next day, I went to pick up a fridge and I couldn't do it. How silly does that sound? Stoicism isn't a set of sentences that you can understand literally and t…
“Holy crap it’s Donald Robertson! I really enjoyed How to think like a Roman Emperor!!
“Here is my for certain top 5 in this order. 6-10 can be in a different order if someone could convince me otherwise (1) **Meditations** by Marcus Aurelius, I like the Robin Waterfield translation and the Scot/David Hicks translation (2) **On Benefits** by Seneca- The translation by Brad Inwood a…
“How to Think Like a Roman Emperor by Donald Robertson has a good chapter called The Comtemplation of Death, which is pretty good. But basically think about it. Think about the subject constantly. Do not allow it to be taboo in your mind; death in itself is nothing to fear - the suffering associated …
“There are a number of excellent books on the subject, I'll enumerate some below: - A guide to the good life - William Irvine - Marcus Aurelius' Meditations - Epictetus' discourses - Seneca's Essays - Stoicism and the art of happiness - Donald Robertson - How to Think Like a Roman emperor - Donald R…
“Just a corrective suggestion for all interested in the book (since Amazon corrected me), the title is “How to Think Like a Roman Emperor.”
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Readers also mention
Books that share discussion threads with How to Think Like a Roman Emperor — counted from the comments, not curated.
How to Be a Stoic
Massimo Pigliucci
A philosopher uses Epictetus as a conversation partner to translate Stoic practice into a secular, atheism-compatible framework for daily life.
A Guide to the Good Life
William B. Irvine
A philosophy professor stress-tests Stoic practice on his own life and hands you the manual: negative visualization, voluntary discomfort, and the trichotomy of control.
The Daily Stoic
Ryan Holiday
Ryan Holiday turns Stoic passages into a 366-day reading habit, and r/Stoicism's 250 mentions can't decide if that's a gateway or a ceiling.
Letters from a Stoic
Seneca
Seneca writes 124 letters to a friend about grief, fear, and wasted time — and 163 Reddit mentions later, r/Stoicism still treats them as the first thing to read.
Meditations
Marcus Aurelius
The Roman emperor's private notebook — written to himself in Greek, never meant to be published — became the Stoic canon's most-cited text 1,800 years later.
Stoicism and the Art of Happiness
Donald Robertson
Donald Robertson rebuilds the full Stoic system from primary sources and maps its logic onto the cognitive-behavioral techniques Marcus Aurelius was actually using.
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor — frequently asked
What does r/Stoicism think of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor?+
They treat it as one of the best modern Stoicism books available. With 154 mentions and broadly positive sentiment, it appears in nearly every beginner recommendation thread and makes it into top-five lists alongside the Meditations and Seneca. The author, Donald Robertson, engages directly on the sub — his ↑435 comment correcting the 'melancholy Marcus' reading is the highest-upvoted item in the data.
Does How to Think Like a Roman Emperor work for people with no philosophy background?+
Yes. The ↑149 comment says it was what got them into Stoicism — not a philosophy course, not the Meditations cold, this book. r/Stoicism consistently places it at the beginner tier precisely because Robertson builds the Stoic framework through Marcus's biography rather than abstract doctrine. Several threads pair it with a note that therapy can complement the material for readers in genuine distress.
Should I read How to Think Like a Roman Emperor before or after the Meditations?+
Before, according to r/Stoicism's standard sequencing. Robertson's book contextualises the Meditations — why Marcus wrote them, what problems he was working through, how the Stoic exercises function. Reading it first means the Meditations land with more structure. The ↑100 list places How to Think Like a Roman Emperor as entry-level and the Meditations as the tier above.
Is the final chapter of How to Think Like a Roman Emperor original or just paraphrased Meditations?+
Largely paraphrased, by Robertson's own admission at ↑119. He describes it as drawn from a close reading of the Meditations, including the original Greek, reorganised for structure and tied into the book's narrative. Whether that counts as a limitation depends on what you're looking for. As a synthesis of Marcus's thought, it holds; as independent scholarship on Stoic philosophy, it doesn't claim to be.