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Stoic Paradoxes: A New Translation Paperback – September 28, 2015

by Quintus Curtius (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 30 ratings
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Cicero's "Stoic Paradoxes" is a brilliant and accessible summary of the six major ethical beliefs of Stoicism. The nature of moral goodness, the possession of virtue, good and bad conduct, the transcendence of wisdom, and the sources of real wealth are all discussed with the author's characteristic intensity and wit.

This is the only existing modern translation of this little-known classic, as well as the most detailed study.

Also included here is Cicero's visionary essay "The Dream of Scipio," which is a compelling testament to his belief in the immortality of the soul. Taken together, these two works provide a glimpse into the mind of one of the most influential thinkers of antiquity.

For this special edition, translator Quintus Curtius has returned to the original Latin texts to provide a modern, fresh interpretation of these forgotten classics. Supplementary essays, summaries, textual notes, a bibliography, and an index provide additional guidance, and help present these works to a new generation of readers.

Quintus Curtius can be found at www.qcurtius.com.

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  1. Print length
    106 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    September 28, 2015
  4. Dimensions
    6 x 0.24 x 9 inches
  5. ISBN-10
    1517559405
  6. ISBN-13
    978-1517559403
  7. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Having ordered Stoic Paradoxes upon its release, I finally found time to read it on a recent vacation. I had heard of Stoicism but had never really looked into it that much. After paring this book with the podcasts by the author via his "Fortress Of The Mind Podcast", I find that there is great value for the modern man in the tenets of this ancient philosophy. Curtius does and excellent job with the translation and is sure to present the text in a way that will engage the modern reader. Yet another excellent work by Q. Curtius."--D.J. Pillar

About the Author

Quintus Curtius is the pen name of writer and translator George Thomas. After graduating from MIT in 1990, he served as an active duty officer in the US Marine Corps for a number of years. After leaving active service, he enrolled in law school and began practicing law in 1998. He lives in Kansas City and travels frequently. 

His innovative and groundbreaking translations include Cicero's "On Duties" and "Stoic Paradoxes," and most recently Sallust's "The Conspiracy of Catiline and War of Jugurtha." 

Curtius has also written extensively on moral philosophy, ethics, and historical subjects. His penetrating essay collections explore questions of character, leadership, and adversity that have never been more relevant to the modern era. These books include "Thirty-Seven," "Pantheon," and "Pathways." Using examples from history, personal experience, literature, and philosophy, these unique books have been described as "inexplicably inspiring." 

He can be found at qcurtius.com.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 28, 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 106 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1517559405
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1517559403
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 5.4 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.24 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 30 ratings

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Quintus Curtius

Quintus Curtius

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Quintus Curtius is the pen name of writer and translator George J. Thomas. After graduating from MIT in 1990, he served as an active duty officer in the US Marine Corps for a number of years. After leaving active service, he enrolled in law school and began practicing law in 1998. He lives in Overland Park, Kansas.

His innovative and groundbreaking translations include Cicero's "On the Nature of the Gods," "Tusculan Disputations," "On Moral Ends," "On Duties," "Stoic Paradoxes," Sallust's "The Conspiracy of Catiline and War of Jugurtha," and Cornelius Nepos's "Lives of the Great Commanders."

Curtius has also written extensively on moral philosophy, ethics, and historical subjects. His essay collections explore questions of character, leadership, and adversity. These books include "Thirty-Seven," "Digest," "Pantheon," and "Pathways." Using examples from history, personal experience, literature, and philosophy, these unique books have been described as "inexplicably inspiring."

He can be found at www.qcurtius.com.

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
30 global ratings
Great intro to Stoicism by a man smarter than you'll ever know.
5 Stars
Great intro to Stoicism by a man smarter than you'll ever know.
Stoic Paradoxes by Cicero is illuminating at worst.The book is not a hard philosophical read. This is a great introduction to stoicism.Get your pen out, read slowly, and start takin' notes.
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Top reviews from the United States

Sonneillon
5.0 out of 5 stars Classic Stoicism given new translation and life
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2016
Verified Purchase
I purchased this book many months ago... but delayed in reviewing it. I wanted to give it at least three reads, and reflect on it. The book is relatively short, but full of gold wisdom nuggets.

On wealth...(From Paradox VI)
"What is this impertinent display in pointing out the fact that you have money? Do you think you are the only one who is wealthy? For the sake of the immortal gods! May I dare to have heard something, or to have learned something? Are you alone rich? And what if you are not in fact rich? What if you are a pauper? What riches to we actually understand, or to which man can we affix this word? I believe it applies to that man whose holdings are such that he is easily content to live freely, who ask for nothing, hungers for nothing, and wishes for nothing more. Your spirit alone should be the judge of whether you are rich, not the pronouncement of others or your own possessions. Does your spirit believe that nothing is lacking, that nothing more should be cared for, that it is satiated or even content with the money it has? If so, then I grant that you are rich." ...

---

The book is full of such passages, you will need to take the time to digest them to appreciate them. I was going to email the author with some questions, and then I found he had created an 8 part podcast that covered Cicero's life, and an in depth explanation of every chapter! I was blown away by the depth and quality of the podcast as a supplement to the book. That podcast can be found here (for free!): [...]

This book and the supplemental podcast are highly recommended.
2 people found this helpful
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AMP
4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent translation, but this isn't Cicero's strongest work.
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
Quintus Curtius's translation of Stoic Paradoxes renders Cicero in clear, concise English. His introduction to Cicero and the relevance of Stoic Paradoxes may be the strongest part of the work. Curtius also studs Cicero's essays with helpful annotations. I'm fairly familiar with Roman History, but Cicero brings up a number of currently-obscure figures who loomed large in the Roman pantheon of heroes in the first century B.C., and the notes help us make sense of their relevance.

So why only four stars?

Cicero was a brilliant speaker and lawyer, and could move politicians and juries with the force of his eloquent arguments. So it was a bit surprising to me that the Paradoxes appear perfunctory. Cicero draws on by-then-old arguments from the (Greek) Stoics, and adds in a few anecdotes from Roman history to bolster them. But there is little of the logical or rhetorical brilliance we might expect from a man who, according to Quintillus, had a name that was “not the name of a man, but of eloquence itself.”

As a long-time reader of the Stoics, I am inclined toward these arguments, but if I wasn't already convinced, I don't think Cicero would have won me over.

There isn't anything in these essays that isn't said better and more convincingly by Seneca or Epictetus, and if you want to be convinced, I'd go with those authors.

It's worth mentioning that both of these figures came after Cicero, and so perhaps benefited from his work. Cicero was paving new ground at the time (for Latin philosophy), the translator notes that they probably were thrown together rather quickly.

This book also contains Dream of Scipio, a fictionalized dream sequence starring Scipio the Elder (Africanus) and his adopted grandson, Scipio Aemilianus . It seems to be (among other things) a fictionalized account of the Stoic "view from above" technique elsewhere demonstrated by Marcus Aurelius and explained in Pierre Hedot as a kind of meditation or spiritual exercise for finding tranquility. The idea is to find perspective and tranquility amid life's problems by seeing how insignificant you are in the grand scheme of the world and the universe. I've long used the technique, but hadn't read this account, and found it interesting.

As a modern reader, Africanus's insistence that a good afterlife awaits not those who are good people, or who serve god, but who best serve their country, is fascinating. It shows how seriously the Romans took this view, which may seem hard to swallow for people steeped in modern culture or Hierocles's Stoic Cosmopolitan view in which we're urged to extend our circle of concern and told that virtue is the only good (which seems underemphasized by Cicero in Dream)

The essays were worth reading, if not quite as powerful as I might like, and I would absolutely read more work by Quintus Curtius
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T. Magritte
5.0 out of 5 stars Approachable Stoicism, Still-Revelant
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2015
Verified Purchase
A long overdue, easy-to-read translation of Cicero's work for modern audiences. The ever-dependable Curtius approached his task with discipline and care, aiming for accuracy in translation, with the result that the author's voice is clearly-retained. Included are essays that expand upon his life and historical position, along with many easily-referenced footnotes to add meaning and clarity to milieu-specific references within the original text. Combined with his own words, a portrait arises of a complex and fascinating man, passionate in his beliefs whilst keeping a close watch that his passions didn't consume him. Cicero asks a lot of his audience, but it's also self-evident he does so because he thinks very highly of them.

It's fascinating to think that although Cicero and I are separated by Millennia, our fundamental observations of life in very different time periods are unchanged, which suggests there's true wisdom in his words, particularly-applicable for those who find themselves emotionally-anchored in a time when emotional reactivity and hysteria is both encouraged and celebrated through all levels of society.

Curtius can take pride in offering readers such a valuable translation of a still-relevant work.
6 people found this helpful
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Zoljargal
5.0 out of 5 stars The Stoic Paradoxes offer us great insight into Cicero
Reviewed in the United States on January 2, 2016
Verified Purchase
Quintus Curtius presents us with a gem. He provides valuable content for every man searching for his path.

The Stoic Paradoxes offer us great insight into Cicero, one of the greatest speakers and thinkers of Ancient Rome. Even Cicero with his wisdom failed to see the coming trends and lost the political battle. Quintus gives us wonderful analysis of Cicero's life.
So after getting to know with Cicero we start with main meal "Stoic Paradoxes".
My favourite quote : "Know, then, that you are a god, if a god is a being which feels, is vigorous, remembers, provides, rules, controls, and moves the physical body which it is put in charge of. It is analogous to how God on high is the ruler of the physical world.

Great valuable book, that you can read slowly bit by a bit . Highly recommended!
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Top reviews from other countries

Melanie
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
Reviewed in Germany on January 15, 2016
Verified Purchase
Great read! Very thought provoking. I would recommend this book to anyone wanting to explore levels of consciousness. The ideals expressed in the book are still very much relevant today.
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