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Dear Fellow Traveler,
To break bread with the dead may sound like odd (or obvious) advice. But strangely, the birth of Stoicism may have started with this type of suggestion. As legend has it, when Zeno (the founder of Stoicism) was a young man, the Oracle told him, โTo live the best life, you should have conversations with the dead.โ
The oracle was referring to reading. But not just any booksโbooks written by writers that have long passed. Books that have stood the test of time.
Reading as a path to the good life is an ancient one. Even Socratesโwho did not write anything down himselfโstressed the wisdom of reading. He suggested improving ourselves through other men's writings to come easily by what others have labored hard for.
Reading the lives of others helps us discern how to live our own.
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