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Donald J. Robertson

Goodreads Author

Born

in Irvine, The United Kingdom

Website

http://donaldrobertson.name/

Twitter

DonJRobertson

Genre

Self Help, Philosophy, Classics

Influences

Stoicism, Philosophy, cognitive therapy ...more

Member Since

October 2011

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Donald J. Robertson is the author of seven books including "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor"; the graphic novel "Verissimus", about the life and philosophy of Marcus Aurelius; a philosophical biography, "Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor"; and "How to Think Like Socrates", a guide to applying Socratic wisdom to modern life, based on the story of his life.

Donald is a cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist, writer, and trainer, specializing in the relationship between ancient philosophy and modern self-improvement psychology. Donald is known for his work on Stoicism and evidence-based psychotherapy. He was born in Ayr, Scotland, but now lives in Quebec and Greece.
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Donald J. Robertson’s books

Average rating: 4.3 · 20,722 ratings · 1,995 reviews · 13 distinct works • Similar authors

	How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius 4.34 avg rating — 15,684 ratings — published 2019 — 34 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Stoicism and the Art of Happiness 4.13 avg rating — 2,218 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor 4.19 avg rating — 1,037 ratings — published 2024 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World 4.15 avg rating — 974 ratings — 15 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Verissimus: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson (Goodreads Author), Zé Nuno Fraga (Illustrator) 4.19 avg rating — 395 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Philosophy of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: Stoic Philosophy as Rational and Cognitive Psychotherapy 4.20 avg rating — 322 ratings — published 2010 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Build Your Resilience 4.13 avg rating — 128 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Practice of Cognitive-Behavioural Hypnotherapy: A Manual for Evidence-Based Clinical Hypnosis 4.62 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Marcus Aurelius in the Roman Histories really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Life and Opinions of Socrates : Excerpts from Diogenes Laertes 3.50 avg rating — 2 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Donald J. Robertson…

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Donald J. Robertson's Blog

Five Stoic Reminders Readers Shared This Week

I’ve been posting more on Substack Notes recently, where you can find short thoughts, quotes, and mini-essays on Stoicism, psychology, and self-improvement. Here are some of my favourite recent Notes.

Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

1. Our ability to observe our own thought

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Donald’s Recent Updates

Donald J. Robertson wrote a new blog post Five Stoic Reminders Readers Shared This Week I’ve been posting more on Substack Notes recently, where you can find short thoughts, quotes, and mini-essays on Stoicism, psychology, and self-improv Read more of this blog post »
May 28, 2026 12:56AM · like
Donald Robertson and 1 other person liked Jessie.'s review of How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World: "A really great combination of a story of Socrates' life with tips and tricks to living a better life throughout. Although semi-fictional due to what little facts are known about him, Socrates really does show you how to best think and live."
May 17, 2026 05:02AM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Donald Robertson and 4 other people liked Jeff Lacy's review of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor (Ancient Lives): "A supplement to reading The Meditations. A worthwhile read altogether. "
May 07, 2026 12:08PM · see review
Donald Robertson liked Gordon's review of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor: "Audiobook - narrated by the author, and well done. Excellent biography. Nice balance of history giving context to the influences and roots of Marcus Aurelius’ stoicism and writing of his personal notes, the meditations in the midst of a devastating p" Read more of this review »
May 07, 2026 12:08PM · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Donald Robertson made a comment on Javier Centellas’s review of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor " Thanks very much for your review. We actually have more biographical information for Marcus Aurelius than we do for most figures from the ancient worl ...more "
Apr 01, 2026 04:08PM · see review
Donald Robertson added a status update: Check out my recent biography of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor.
Mar 11, 2026 07:04AM · 4 likes · like · see status
Donald Robertson made a comment on Dave’s review of How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World " Thanks for the review. I was a little bit surprised that you only recalled 15% of the content being about Socrates. So I did a quick search of the man ...more "
Aug 29, 2025 02:11PM · see review
Donald Robertson made a comment on CHRIS’s review of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor " Thanks for the review. This is a biography of Marcus Aurelius, that's why it contains historical anecdotes. It's not intended to be a book on Stoicism ...more "
Aug 08, 2025 02:31AM · see review
Donald Robertson made a comment on Victor Murillo’s review of Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor " Thanks for your review. There's a fairly detailed discussion of the use made of the Historia Augusta in the Sources Notes. It reads: The Augustan Histo ...more "
Aug 04, 2025 04:57PM · see review
Donald Robertson joined the group Political Philosophy and Ethics
Mar 26, 2025 06:53PM · like

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Quotes by Donald J. Robertson (?)

“From the moment we’re born we’re constantly dying, not only with each stage of life but also one day at a time. Our bodies are no longer the ones to which our mothers gave birth, as Marcus put it. Nobody is the same person he was yesterday. Realizing this makes it easier to let go: we can no more hold on to life than grasp the waters of a rushing stream.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

36 likes

“What matters, in other words, isn’t what we feel but how we respond to those feelings.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

28 likes

“To learn how to die, according to the Stoics, is to unlearn how to be a slave.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

22 likes

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Donald’s Quotes

“The Stoics adopted the Socratic division of cardinal virtues into wisdom, justice, courage, and moderation.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

10 likes

“Wisdom, in all these forms, mainly requires understanding the difference between good, bad, and indifferent things. Virtue is good and vice is bad, but everything else is indifferent.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

12 likes

“In typically blunt fashion he told them that sheep don’t vomit up grass to show the shepherds how much they’ve eaten but rather digest their food inwardly and produce good wool and milk outwardly.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

15 likes

“This is illustrated by one of Aesop’s fables, which says that each of us is born with two sacks suspended from our neck: one filled with the faults of others that hangs within our view and one hidden behind our back filled with our own faults. We see the flaws of others quite clearly, in other words, but we have a blind spot for our own. The New Testament likewise asks why we look at the tiny splinter of wood in our brother’s eye yet pay no attention to the great plank of wood obscuring our own view (Matthew 7:3–5).”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

12 likes

“Freemasonry also celebrates the four cardinal virtues of Greek philosophy, which correspond symbolically with the four corners of the lodge: Prudence, Justice, Fortitude, and Temperance.”
― Donald J. Robertson, How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius

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