# The Enchiridion by Epictetus

9 Hacker News commenters recommended The Enchiridion by Epictetus and 0 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 2 of 13 months.

**Verdict:** A short, practical manual of Stoic philosophy that readers find distilled, grounded and still relevant. Some note that Stephen Walton's translation takes liberties with the original.

## Why people recommend it

- Practical, grounded Stoic advice (2 comments): "the most distilled and practical manual of practical stoic philosophy" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48178337)) "It's practical, grounded, and still relevant." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46790529))
- Stephen Walton's translation praised (2 comments): "Stephen Walton's translation is actually my favourite!" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46607694)) "Yes he took some liberties, but I like it anyway" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46607380))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Tao Te Ching by Laozi](https://hackerapproved.com/p/tao-te-ching-translated.md): 32 recommend
- [Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Pirsig](https://hackerapproved.com/p/zen-and-the-art-of-motorcycle-maintenance.md): 24 recommend
- [Meditations by Marcus Aurelius](https://hackerapproved.com/p/meditations.md): 17 recommend
- [I Am a Strange Loop by Douglas Hofstadter](https://hackerapproved.com/p/i-am-a-strange-loop.md): 16 recommend
- [Simulacra and Simulation by Jean Baudrillard](https://hackerapproved.com/p/simulacra-and-simulation.md): 12 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/dp/0879757035?tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Bookshop.org](https://bookshop.org/a/130825/9780879757038) (affiliate link)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "The Enchiridion by Epictetus", https://hackerapproved.com/p/enchiridion/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).