The Enchiridion:

Adapted for the Contemporary Reader

By: Epictetus, James Harris

Narrated by: Jason Sprenger

The Enchiridion

The Enchiridion or Manual of Epictetus (Enchiridion is Greek for "that which is held in the hand") is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice.

This manual has been carefully adapted in to modern English to allow for easy listening.

Enjoy!

©2017 James Harris (P)2017 James Harris

He was ignorant of my other faults

The Enchiridion is a short collection of Epictetus' writings, full of practical advice for daily life. First published almost two millennia ago, most of it is still straightforward and still directly applicable. It does have a couple scenarios that are a bit dated since there aren't many gladiators these days and I don't own a horse, but the message is still understandable.

I was a little worried about listening to an audiobook of this nature, as it is just a collection of relatively unconnected thoughts and could seem disjointed, but the narrator did a perfect job of keeping the pacing natural and smooth.

I was provided this audiobook in exchange for my honest review.

My favorite piece of advice from this book was this: If anyone tells you that a certain person has spoken in a bad way about you, don’t make excuses about what has been said, but answer "He was ignorant of my other faults, otherwise he would have mentioned those also."

Manual for Stoic Living

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

The narrator does a great job going through all of the chapters. The narrator has a smooth voice and the audiobook is easy to follow.

Any additional comments?

I was not familiar with this work and as the title mentions it has been adapted. I don’t know how much of the work has been changed/adapted, but this was a very easy listen. Each chapter is very short and contains a short citation or proverb for living the stoic life. This audiobook is a quick listen and I think it is a much better breakdown of stoicism than Meditations. I highly suggest this book to anyone who is interested in stoicism, no primer is necessary. I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Enlightement Though Time

Got more out of this than most of the other self improvement books. Short and to the point. Recommend

Interesting Perspective

A collection of quotes and sayings on stoic philosophy.
At times this book felt a little impactical and outdated other times it provided quality information.
The believes are neither good nor bad if you see it just as it is.
Simplicity at it's finest really.
A how to manual for living a practical tranquil life.
Examples that aren't difficult to understand on social manners, taking care of our bodies, and not stressing about things we can't control.
By practicing these teachings we are less likely to be vulnerable to undesired emotions and chaos.
I requested this book in exchange for my honest unbiased review.
I think that the pleasant narration and thought provoking POV make this book worth listening to.

Really love Sprenger

Having already listened to another audio book version of The Enchiridion I have to say that even though I did enjoy listening to that version, I enjoyed this one better. Mostly James Harris's adaptation of the original works, makes for a smoother understand of the topics. The over all message wasn't lost in the words trying to describe them. With this modern twist anyone can listen to this and understand what Epictetus was trying to say.

Jason Sprenger does an amazing job of narrating. This comes across more as a grand speech than a philosophic manual of how to live, which is a complement. I have come across so many classic novels turned into audio books and the person reading them makes them into a boring lecture or tries way to hard to give an impression of the author. Sprenger gives this modern twist just the right amount of enthusiasm to keep you entertained.

If you would like to understand The Enchiridion or want to try and apply it to your modern life currently, then this adapted work by James Harris is a must add to your audio book library.