Donald Robertson

Donald Robertson is a Scottish cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist whose How to Think Like a Roman Emperor weaves Marcus Aurelius's life with practical Stoic philosophy.

Donald Robertson is a cognitive-behavioural psychotherapist who has spent his career applying ancient Stoic philosophy to modern psychological challenges. How to Think Like a Roman Emperor, published in 2019, is his most successful book — a dual biography of Marcus Aurelius and an introduction to Stoic practice, structured around the emperor’s life from childhood through his reign on the front lines of the Roman Empire. Robertson weaves together historical narrative, philosophical explanation, and practical psychological exercises, making explicit the connections between Stoic practice and modern cognitive-behavioural therapy.

The book benefits from Robertson’s dual fluency in ancient philosophy and contemporary psychology. He is careful to ground the Stoic techniques — distinguishing what is in our control from what is not, practicing negative visualization, developing equanimity toward death — in both their original context and their modern applications, and he makes a persuasive case that the ancients were doing something recognizably similar to what therapists do today. The biography of Marcus Aurelius is handled with appropriate scholarly care, drawing on the Meditations and historical sources without overclaiming access to the emperor’s private life.

How to Think Like a Roman Emperor is a more nuanced and practice-oriented introduction to Stoicism than Ryan Holiday’s popular works, and better suited to readers who want to understand the philosophical underpinnings alongside the practical techniques. Robertson does not romanticize Stoicism or strip it of its complexity. It is an honest, well-researched, and genuinely useful book for readers who want both ancient wisdom and evidence-based application.