Reading Guide · Lisanne Swart
Authors Like Epictetus
You come to Epictetus for a very specific kind of writing. Here are ten authors who scratch a similar itch — some closer in style, some closer in subject, all worth the detour.
Where to start
If you loved Epictetus, then…
Marcus Aurelius — Marcus Aurelius studied Epictetus directly and it shows on every page
If you loved Epictetus, then…
Seneca — a wealthier, more literary Stoic voice covering the same ground
If you loved Epictetus, then…
Ryan Holiday — the clearest modern popularizer of exactly this philosophy
If you loved Epictetus, then…
Marcus Tullius Cicero — a contemporary philosophical tradition, less Stoic but closely related
10 authors like Epictetus
Marcus Aurelius
Meditations is a Roman emperor’s private notebook, deeply shaped by Epictetus’s teaching.
Seneca
Letters from a Stoic offers the same practical philosophy in a more literary, epistolary form.
Ryan Holiday
The Obstacle Is the Way translates Stoic ideas, including Epictetus’s, into modern self-help language.
Marcus Tullius Cicero
On the Good Life collects essays on ethics and duty from Rome’s other major philosophical voice.
Michel de Montaigne
The Essays apply classical philosophy, Epictetus included, to the messy business of everyday living.
Viktor Frankl
Man’s Search for Meaning arrives at Stoic conclusions through the lens of a Nazi concentration camp.
Pierre Hadot
Philosophy as a Way of Life reframes ancient philosophy, including Stoicism, as daily practice rather than theory.
William B. Irvine
A Guide to the Good Life presents modern Stoicism as a practical program, drawing heavily on Epictetus.
Massimo Pigliucci
How to Be a Stoic applies Epictetus’s framework to specific modern dilemmas.
Donald Robertson
How to Think Like a Roman Emperor blends Stoic philosophy with modern cognitive therapy.
Every list here is a door, not a destination.
— Lisanne Swart
Frequently asked questions
Who should I read if I like Epictetus?
The authors below share Epictetus’s core preoccupations — tone, subject matter, or structural approach — even where their style differs. Start with whichever description sounds closest to what drew you to Epictetus in the first place.
Is there one author most similar to Epictetus?
Marcus Aurelius is usually the closest match on this list, though ‘closest’ depends on whether you’re drawn to Epictetus for voice, subject, or structure.
