Donald J. Robertson

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Donald J. Robertson

Goodreads Author


Born
in Irvine, The United Kingdom
Website

Twitter

Genre

Influences
Stoicism, Philosophy, cognitive therapy ...more

Member Since
October 2011


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 Just finished writing a prose biography of Marcus Aurelius for Yale University Press' Ancient Lives series. Currently promoting Verissimus, our graphi…moreJust finished writing a prose biography of Marcus Aurelius for Yale University Press' Ancient Lives series. Currently promoting Verissimus, our graphic novel about Marcus Aurelius, and working on a new book, to be announced soon!(less)
Donald J. Robertson It's out now! You can see the listing her e on the publisher's website:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...…more
It's out now! You can see the listing her e on the publisher's website:
https://us.macmillan.com/books/978125...(less)
Average rating: 4.3 · 19,906 ratings · 1,922 reviews · 11 distinct worksSimilar authors
How to Think Like a Roman E...

4.34 avg rating — 15,154 ratings — published 2019
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Stoicism and the Art of Hap...

4.13 avg rating — 2,174 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions
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Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic ...

4.20 avg rating — 943 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions
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How to Think Like Socrates:...

4.14 avg rating — 842 ratings9 editions
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Verissimus: The Stoic Philo...

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4.21 avg rating — 380 ratings3 editions
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The Philosophy of Cognitive...

4.21 avg rating — 319 ratings — published 2010 — 16 editions
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Build Your Resilience

4.14 avg rating — 125 ratings — published 2012 — 4 editions
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The Practice of Cognitive-B...

4.62 avg rating — 26 ratings — published 2012 — 8 editions
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Marcus Aurelius in the Roma...

really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 2 ratings
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The Life and Opinions of So...

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More books by Donald J. Robertson…

Listen to "How to Think Like Socrates"

My latest book, How to Think Like Socrates, has now been rated by over a hundred listeners on Audible, where it has 4.8 stars, and has been getting great reviews. You can listen to a sample from one of the chapters there.

Get the Audiobook

I wrote this book primarily to be listened to, in audiobook format. I narrated it myself at d’Aragon Studio in Montreal, where a team of four of us worked on

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Published on January 20, 2026 07:23

Donald’s Recent Updates

Donald J. Robertson wrote a new blog post

No prophecy can be good or bad for you...


When you have recourse to divination, remember that you do not know what the issue is going to be, but that you have come in order to find this out f Read more of this blog post »
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
"This book is an engaging and thoughtful bridge between ancient philosophy and modern life. Donald J. Robertson does a wonderful job bringing Socrates down from the pedestal and presenting him as a practical teacher whose ideas still feel surprisingly" Read more of this review »
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
"Another powerful read from one of my favorite authors, Donald Robertson. How to Think Like Socrates is illuminating, insightful, and full of wisdom. At times, it strayed more into historical context (ie. the Peloponnesian War) than I was looking for," Read more of this review »
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
"A biography on Socrates, a glimpse of Alcibiades and the Peloponnesian war, and Socratic applications in psychology. A truly beautiful read."
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
" 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 "
Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson
" 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 "
Donald Robertson added a status update: 🦉⚔️ Will you be the 800th person to review my biography of Marcus Aurelius on Goodreads?
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...
Marcus Aurelius by Donald J. Robertson
" 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 "
137714
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
" Thanks for your review. Where I attribute views from a character in one of Plato's dialogues to another historical individual, I've noted the reason i ...more "
More of Donald's books…
Quotes by Donald J. Robertson  (?)
Quotes are added by the Goodreads community and are not verified by Goodreads. (Learn more)

“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

“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

“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

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“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

“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

“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

“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

“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

220 Goodreads Librarians Group — 309476 members — last activity 4 minutes ago
Goodreads Librarians are volunteers who help ensure the accuracy of information about books and authors in the Goodreads' catalog. The Goodreads Libra ...more
108657 Stoic Book Club — 868 members — last activity Dec 30, 2025 03:51PM
This club is about traditional Stoicism with the distinct purpose of enabling and promoting discourse on Stoic philosophy as a way of life.
1116745 Donald J. Robertson hosts a Q&A. — 10 members — last activity Sep 12, 2020 05:49AM
I'll be available on Goodreads to answer questions about my book How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: The Stoic Philosophy of Marcus Aurelius. Post ques ...more
137714 Political Philosophy and Ethics — 6240 members — last activity 14 hours, 29 min ago
Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
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