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Donald J. Robertson

@donjrobertson.bsky.social
538 followers 51 following 315 posts

Author of "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor", and "How to Think Like Socrates". President of the Plato's Academy Centre in Athens.

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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 18h
Putting Your Problems into Perspective In this lesson, we’ll walk through what may be the most philosophical meditation found in ancient Stoicism, known today as the View from Above. In this technique, you’ll practise looking upon your everyday worries from a cosmic vantage point, reducing their…
donaldrobertson.name
Putting Your Problems into Perspective
In this lesson, we’ll walk through what may be the most philosophical meditation found in ancient Stoicism, known today as the View from Above. In this technique, you’ll practise looking upon your everyday worries from a cosmic vantage point, reducing their emotional impact and allowing you to see the bigger picture. Of all the techniques I’ve learned from Stoicism, this one stood out because there are very few direct parallels to it in modern psychotherapy.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
Virtue is admired above all… Immediately after they are fourteen, women are called “ladies” by men. And so when they see that they have nothing else available to them but only to be the bedfellows of men, they begin to beautify their appearance, and put all their hopes in that. It is worthwhile…
donaldrobertson.name
Virtue is admired above all…
Immediately after they are fourteen, women are called “ladies” by men. And so when they see that they have nothing else available to them but only to be the bedfellows of men, they begin to beautify their appearance, and put all their hopes in that. It is worthwhile for us to take pains, therefore, to make them understand that they are honoured for nothing else but only for showing themselves to be modest and self-respecting.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Montreal: Stoicism talk at Indigo Pointe-Claire this Sunday A live talk and Q&A on How to Think Like a Roman Emperor I’ll be at Indigo Pointe-Claire this Sunday, October 11, at 3pm for a talk based on How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. I’ll be discussing Marcus Aurelius and some of the practical…
donaldrobertson.name
Montreal: Stoicism talk at Indigo Pointe-Claire this Sunday
A live talk and Q&A on How to Think Like a Roman Emperor I’ll be at Indigo Pointe-Claire this Sunday, October 11, at 3pm for a talk based on How to Think Like a Roman Emperor. I’ll be discussing Marcus Aurelius and some of the practical ways Stoic philosophy can help us build resilience, manage difficult emotions, and live with greater purpose.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Stoic Cost-Benefit Analysis Whenever you wish to know what should be avoided or pursued, look to the supreme good, the purpose of your whole life. — Seneca, Letters, 71.2 In this article, I’m going to begin by briefly explaining how traditional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is used in therapy and…
donaldrobertson.name
Stoic Cost-Benefit Analysis
Whenever you wish to know what should be avoided or pursued, look to the supreme good, the purpose of your whole life. — Seneca, Letters, 71.2 In this article, I’m going to begin by briefly explaining how traditional cost-benefit analysis (CBA) is used in therapy and coaching, particularly cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT), and then explain how ancient Stoicism approached the same basic problem differently.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 30/09/2026
Check out our latest Stoic Mind lesson, free, on Substack. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/how-to-fin...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
How to Find Strength in Your Own Character
Lesson 4 of The Stoic Mind Miniseries
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
No surprises there then.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/09/2026
Check out my Substack for our free lessons on #Stoicism and #anxiety, from The Stoic Mind miniseries.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 03/09/2026
"Each man’s body is a measure for his property, just as the foot is a measure for his shoe. If, then, you abide by this principle, you will maintain the proper measure, but if you go beyond it, you cannot help but fall headlong over a precipice..." donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/base-your-...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/08/2026
Okay, perhaps not for the faint-hearted, this is my deep-dive into the Stoic model of anger, and a bit about ancient Stoic psychotherapy. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/the-stoic-...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
The Stoic Taxonomy of Anger
How the Stoics Conceptualized and Classified the Emotion
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 15/08/2026
Enter the Stoic Mind. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/how-to-det...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
How to Detach from Anxious Thoughts
Lesson 1 of The Stoic Mind Miniseries
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 11/08/2026
You don’t just feel anxious. You also think anxious. Join us today for Lesson 1 of The Stoic “Mind: How to Detach from Anxious Thoughts.” #Stoicism donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/how-to-det...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
How to Detach from Anxious Thoughts
Lesson 1 of The Stoic Mind Miniseries
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 06/08/2026
The wise man is like someone who can't afford a pair of shoes... donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/be-mindful...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
Be mindful not to injure your own character...
Donald's Commentary on The Handbook of Epictetus #38
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
Announcing "The Stoic Mind", my new, free of charge course on #Stoicism and #anxiety. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Introducing The Stoic Mind
Five Stoic techniques for managing anxiety, taught one at a time, starting in two weeks. Here's what to expect.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 21/07/2026
Join me in Montreal's West Island for a talk on Stoicism at the Indigo bookstore. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor: A Talk and Book Signing in Montreal’s West Island
Sunday, October 11, at Indigo Pointe-Claire
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 10/07/2026
How unemotional is Stoicism? open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Stoicism is not unemotional
How not to be like a man made of oak or stone
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
How Spartan were the Spartans? open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
The Rivalry of Athens and Sparta
Listen to my conversation with Dr. Adrian Goldsworthy
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 18/06/2026
Watch my live conversation with Prof. Massimo Pigliucci about ancient Greek Skepticism, Cicero, #Stoicism, therapy, and the limits of knowledge. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
How to Be a Happy Skeptic with Massimo Pigliucci
A recording from Donald J. Robertson's live video
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 17/06/2026
Nearly a thousand people have now rated my latest book, How to Think Like Socrates on Goodreads. www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...
goodreads.com
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Join me and Massimo Pigliucci on Substack Live for a conversation about Skepticism, or as I like to call it "What not to think." open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Announcing: How to Be a Skeptic
Join my Substack Live with Massimo Pigliucci on Monday, June 15 at 12pm Eastern.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
The rational psychotherapy nobody told you about, which was used to treat combat stress during the Pacific War? open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
How General Semantics was Used to Treat World War II Veterans
An early rational psychotherapy used by Douglas M. Kelley, the psychiatrist featured in Nuremberg (2025)
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 19/05/2026
Coming tomorrow, I delve into a forgotten psychotherapy. donaldrobertson.substack.com/publish/post...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Live: "How to do Stoic Therapy" - Conversations with Modern Stoicism open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Live: "How to do Stoic Therapy" - Conversations with Modern Stoicism
A recording from Donald J. Robertson's live video
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 15/05/2026
Later today, I'll be talking about what ancient Stoic psychotherapy looked like and how it worked, etc. Tune in and join the conversation. Everyone is welcome! open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Join us today for "How to do Stoic Therapy"
Substack Live event for Conversations with Modern Stoicism
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
📺 Join me on Substack Live, Friday, May 15, to discuss Stoic Psychotherapy. Everyone welcome. open.substack.com/live-stream/...
open.substack.com
LIVE SOON: Live: "How to do Stoic Therapy" - Conversations with Modern Stoicism
Starting May 15 at 12:00 PM EDT
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 10/05/2026
My book 'Marcus Aurelius: The Stoic Emperor' is now 50% off at Yale Press for the month of May! 🎉 Grab a copy while you can. (US and Canada only.) yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300...
yalebooks.yale.edu
Marcus Aurelius
Experience the world of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius and the tremendous challenges he faced and overcame with the help of Stoic philosophy  “[Robertson] ...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 07/05/2026
Think it through, Epictetus style. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Bear in mind the social consequences of your actions...
Donald's Commentary on The Handbook of Epictetus #36
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 06/05/2026
Nearly a thousand people have now reviewed my most recent book, How to Think Like Socrates, on Goodreads. Please take a moment to share your review, if you’ve read the book. Thanks! www.goodreads.com/book/show/20...
goodreads.com
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way…
How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient …
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 05/05/2026
Making videos about some unusual self-improvement techniques. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/hand-gestu...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
Hand Gestures for Self-Improvement
A recording by Donald J. Robertson
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
How can #Stoicism help children? open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
How can Stoicism Help Kids?
Listen to my chat with Claudia Mills. author of Calliope Callisto Clark and the Search for Wisdom
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 27/04/2026
I combine Stoicism and CBT in my coaching practice. In this article, I explain some general ways in which Stoicism can be applied to coaching, and integrated with modern psychology. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
When Reading about Stoicism isn’t Enough
How coaching can help you put your philosophy into practice
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/04/2026
What do Marcus Aurelius and Monty Python have in common? donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/what-marcu...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
What Marcus Aurelius Can Teach Us Coping with Stress
Listen to my chat with Mark Forstater. author of The Spiritual Teachings of Marcus Aurelius
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 07/04/2026
What's good about anger? Watch Stoicism and anger live... open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Stoicism and Anger Live
A recording from Donald J. Robertson's live video
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
How to lose an empire, then and now. open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Socrates' Athens and Modern Politics
What the Peloponnesian War can teach us about war and rhetoric today
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 02/02/2026
Nearly 1,000 people have now rated/reviewed my biography of Marcus Aurelius on Goodreads.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
🎧 Listen to “How to Think Like Socrates”, my best audiobook! www.audible.com/pd/How-to-Th...
audible.com
How to Think Like Socrates
Check out this great listen on Audible.com. How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient philosopher to modern life?Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the ent...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 24/01/2026
📺 Check out my latest discussion with Chris Williamson on the Modern Wisdom podcast, where we talk about Stoicism, CBT, and how to deal with Anxiety. youtu.be/SDA7BinQdh4?...
youtu.be
Practical Tools for a Less Anxious Life - Donald Robertson
YouTube video by Chris Williamson
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Listen to How to Think Like Socrates on Audible.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 23/12/2025
Does Stoic Ethics really depend on Physics, as people online often claim? What have academic experts said about this? See the full article on Substack. #Stoicism open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 19/12/2025
My Stoicism podcast just passed 500k downloads, which kind of surprised me. donaldrobertson.substack.com/podcast?sort...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
Stoicism: Philosophy as a Way of Life Podcast | Donald J. Robertson | Substack
Donald Robertson, the author of "How to Think Like a Roman Emperor", and a cognitive-behavioral therapist, talks about how to apply Stoicism in the modern world, discussing philosophy, psychology and ...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 11/12/2025
What books should you read first on Stoicism? donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/my-stoicis...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
My Stoicism Reading List for Beginners
Which editions to read and in which order
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Reposted by Donald J. Robertson
Brittany Wong @brittanywong.bsky.social · 05/12/2025
Did you know that President Trump is said to believe that a person, like a battery, is born with a finite amount of energy, which exercise only depletes? I had to delve into it! www.huffpost.com/entry/trumps...
huffpost.com
Trump's Rumored Theory On Exercise Has People Talking. Here's What Experts Think.
If Donald Trump is sleepy, it's probably not because of his exercise regimen.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 25/11/2025
Q: Despite being a Roman emperor, was Marcus Aurelius, in some ways, less of an autocrat than Donald Trump? donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/marcus-aur...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
Marcus Aurelius versus Donald Trump
What might the Stoic philosopher say about Trump’s leadership qualities?
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 19/11/2025
Over-intellectualizing your insights in cognitive therapy is a form of avoidance. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/how-to-tur...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
How to Turn Intellectual Insight into Emotional Insight
Making deep and lasting change in cognitive-behavioural therapy
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 13/11/2025
What makes farmers angry? open.substack.com/pub/donaldro...
open.substack.com
Where a man’s interest lies there also is his piety...
Donald's Commentary on The Handbook of Epictetus #31
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 26/10/2025
🏛️ Are you joining #StoicWeek2025 — a free 7-day experiment in living like a Stoic? Discover calm, wisdom, and perspective with daily Stoic reflections — and get personalised feedback on your Stoic attitudes. 👉 learn.modernstoicism.com/p/stoicweek2... #ModernStoicism
learn.modernstoicism.com
Stoic Week 2025 - Stoicism and Wellbeing
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 25/10/2025
Last Chance! Join us today (free of charge) for the Plato’s Academy Centre virtual conference on The Philosophy of Love and Relationships, starting 1pm EST. Everyone welcome. philosophy-love.eventbrite.ca
philosophy-love.eventbrite.ca
The Philosophy of Love and Relationships
How can ancient philosophy and modern psychology help us to deal with the challenges of modern relationships.
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 22/10/2025
⭐ Nearly 100 people have now reviewed my latest audiobook, How to Think Like Socrates, on Audible. Check out what they said here. www.audible.com/pd/How-to-Th...
audible.com
How to Think Like Socrates
Check out this great listen on Audible.com. How can we apply the teachings of the greatest ancient philosopher to modern life? Socrates is the quintessential Athenian philosopher, the source of the e...
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 19/10/2025
"Zeno, of Phoenician origin, is the object of ridicule for his poor command of the Greek language, a sign of the Greeks’ contempt for non-Greek-speaking foreigners." www.finestresullarte.info/en/archaeolo...
finestresullarte.info
Recent investigation of Herculaneum papyri reveals new information about Zeno, founder of Stoicism
Recent scientific investigation of the charred papyri from Herculaneum, preserved at the
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 16/10/2025
Join me for this live workshop on Stoicism and Anxiety. donaldrobertson.substack.com/p/five-timel...
donaldrobertson.substack.com
Five timeless lessons that changed how I deal with anxiety
Join me for the "Five Things I Learned" live workshop online on Dec 4th
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Donald J. Robertson @donjrobertson.bsky.social · 08/10/2025
🔥 Snap up a bargain! My latest book, How to Think Like Socrates, is currently 65% off on Amazon com, as part of their Prime Big Deal. Today only! @followers www.amazon.com/dp/125028050...
amazon.com
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World [Robertson, Donald J.] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. How to Think Like Socrates: Ancient Philosophy as a Way of Life in the Modern World
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