The inner citadel
by Pierre Hadot · first published 1998
67% recommend17% neutral17% critical
Why HN recommends it
Scholarly analysis of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations that places the text in its historical and philosophical context and explains references to his life; for readers wanting Stoicism beyond modern self-help.
Common criticism: One critic finds it excessively dry and tedious, lacking the emotional content of the Meditations.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
Affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
Mentions per year
What Hacker News says
Related books
2012–2024The discourses of Epictetus
Epictetus
Recommended by 7 · mentioned by 87 recommend · 8 mention7 recommend · 87 recommend
2017–2021Letters on Ethics
Seneca the Younger, A. A. Long, Margaret Graver
Recommended by 3 · mentioned by 33 recommend · 3 mention3 recommend · 33 recommend
2009–2026The Enchiridion
Epictetus
Recommended by 47 · mentioned by 6647 recommend · 66 mention47 recommend · 6647 recommend
2010–2026Philosophy as a way of life
Pierre Hadot
Recommended by 6 · mentioned by 76 recommend · 7 mention6 recommend · 76 recommend
2011–2026Discourses
Epictetus
Recommended by 17 · mentioned by 2717 recommend · 27 mention17 recommend · 2717 recommend
2013–2024Zealot
Reza Aslan, Dr Mounir Moussa, Dr Hoda Abbas Moussa, Mr Ashraf Killany
Recommended by 10 · mentioned by 1110 recommend · 11 mention10 recommend · 1110 recommend
2017–2026How to Be a Stoic
Massimo Pigliucci
Recommended by 4 · mentioned by 94 recommend · 9 mention4 recommend · 94 recommend
…highly, highly advise you to go with the Gregory Hays' translation (http://amzn.to/XQSimT)! I have a copy of Long's and it doesn't do it justice. If you want to dive deeper consider Pierre Hadot's 'The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius" - http://amzn.to/YuWyvh I am also fond of these YouTube lectures on the Meditations: http://youtu.be/nLD09Qa3kMk
on “The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius” ↗…all three. If you're interested in more modern interpretations of the above, a couple good jumping off points would be A Guide to the Good Life by William Irvine (which was mostly pretty good) or The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot (which studies Meditations). Ryan Holiday also has a book called The Obstacle Is The Way, though I didn't enjoy it as much as any listed above, to be honest. A personal favorite gem which,…
on “Why Is Stoicism Having a Cultural Moment?” ↗…Marcus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nLD09Qa3kMk I truly think you'll see the Meditations in a different way after watching this. Also, Pierre Hadot has a very good (but scholarly) analysis on it in The Inner Citadel. And for Epictetus, I always introduce him with the story of the Vietnam prisoner of war James Stockdale who in a way relied on stoic principles to endure the tortures he was inflicted. He wrote and…
on “What if you didn't need money or attention?” ↗I only read non-fiction; mostly philosophy. Here are some books off the top of my head: * The Inner Citadel/Philosophy as a Way of Life by Pierre Hadot * Plato's dialogues (someone already mentioned a few of them, but the Republic was missing from their list). * Epictetus (Discourses and Enchiridion) * The…
on “Ask HN: What non-fiction do you read?” ↗…If you like it, then you can research other translations. (A.S.L Farquharson spent a lifetime on his translation of the Meditations; it also has commentary. I sometimes consult this edition.) • The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, by Pierre Hadot. This needs to be read only after you've read at least one translation of Marcus Aurelius This is a fantastic dissection of Aurelius' work—Hadot studied…
on “Psychological techniques to practice Stoicism” ↗If you want to understand Meditations and Marcus Aurelius, you should read The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot. For instance, there are good reasons for his writing in Greek, for the format of the book, for the repetitiveness, etc.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗It's worth noting that much of what Irvine lays out in this book is closer to Epicureanism than Stoicism, per say. For a better treatment of Stoicism, I'd recommend The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life in 2014?” ↗+1 to Pierre Hadot. I actually prefer the Inner Citadel to reading the Meditations. A good intro is also William Irvine's a Guide to the Good Life
on “Why Is Stoicism Having a Cultural Moment?” ↗…from Discourses, by A.A. Long. This is a short book; the value addition here is the introduction, and the outstanding glossary. (NB: there is no escaping full Discourses of Epictetus.) • The Inner Citadel, by Pierre Hadot. This is a fantastic dissection of Marcus Aurelius' work; Hadot studied him for 25 years. It also contains unparalleled summary of Epictetus, and many quotes of Seneca. • Epictetus:…
on “Seneca on The Shortness of Time (2017)” ↗I'm definitely no textual criticism expert, but I do have a book recommendation. The Inner Citadel by Hadot is a great analysis of the Meditations. It explains extracts from the Meditations – such as references to certain people in Marcus's life – with facts we know about Marcus from other sources.…
on “I don't like making the best things” ↗Protip: Don't bother reading any modern books on Stoicism besides The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot. Nearly every other book after that has basically been a recycled version of it.
on “Stoicism is more popular than ever. Too bad it's so incoherent now” ↗I'm reading The Inner Citadel by Pierre Hadot for the second time. It's full of gems.
on “Ask HN: What Are You Reading?” ↗…Donald Robertson has done a great job with the two books I've read of his (Stoicism and the Art of Happiness, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor). The best modern book, in my opinion, is Pierre Hadot's The Inner Citadel. It's primarily about Marcus Aurelius' Meditations, but does a really good deep-dive into Stoicism (and frequently mentions other Stoics).
on “What Is Stoicism?” ↗Check out Hadot's Inner Citadel if you haven't, also an amazing book.
on “What if you didn't need money or attention?” ↗How to be a Stoic changes the historical context of Stoicism to suit Pigliucci's personal views. I do not recommend that book, since his good bits are borrowed from The Inner Citadel. The author lost my respect when he supported the revisionism of the BBC. https://medium.com/opacity/comment-on-klueless-massimo-s-com... This short essay by GILBERT MURRAY is the best introduction to…
on “What the Stoics did for us” ↗