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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 · 19,515 ratings · 1,898 reviews · 11 distinct worksSimilar authors
How to Think Like a Roman E...

4.35 avg rating — 14,887 ratings — published 2019
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Stoicism and the Art of Hap...

4.13 avg rating — 2,153 ratings — published 2013 — 12 editions
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Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic ...

4.21 avg rating — 901 ratings — published 2024 — 6 editions
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How to Think Like Socrates:...

4.15 avg rating — 786 ratings14 editions
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Verissimus: The Stoic Philo...

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4.22 avg rating — 376 ratings3 editions
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The Philosophy of Cognitive...

4.20 avg rating — 317 ratings — published 2010 — 16 editions
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Build Your Resilience

4.15 avg rating — 124 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...

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The Life and Opinions of So...

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More books by Donald J. Robertson…

Next Week: Ancient Philosophy Meets Your Anxiety

Hi everyone,

Just a quick reminder that next Thursday I’m teaching a new live workshop:
“Five Things I’ve Learned from Ancient Wisdom about Coping with Anxiety.”

👉 REGISTER NOW: Ancient Wisdom for Modern Anxiety
📅 Thursday, December 4 — 8pm Eastern

Over the past twenty-five years of studying Stoicism and cognitive-behavioural therapy, I’ve been struck by how similar our anxieties are to those of th

Read more of this blog post »
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Published on November 29, 2025 13:16

Donald’s Recent Updates

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
"I absolutely loved How to Think Like Socrates.
This book reignited my thirst and passion for the wisdom of the ancients. The way Socrates questioned everything—pushing past assumptions, peeling back layers of belief, and pursuing truth with relentless" Read more of this review »
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
"Once again Donald Robertson comes through with a fantastic read. Part book of wisdom, part biography he highlights how each of us in either small or large ways can become more like Socrates even in modern times. "
How to Think Like Socrates by Donald J. Robertson
"A fascinating exploration of the teachings and ideas of Socrates as told through an engaging narrative. Interspersed with insightful and delightful psychological insights, this book will bring you to love Socrates as dearly as Socrates loved wisdom. " Read more of this review »
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 — 302505 members — last activity 5 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 — 856 members — last activity Jul 28, 2025 04:41PM
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 — 6128 members — last activity 6 hours, 30 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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