Olympic gold medal-winning Dutch speed skater Mark Tuitert's first book, The Stoic Mindset: Living the Ten Principles of Stoicism, translated from the Dutch by Haico Kaashoek, fits big ideas into a tiny, easy-to-read package that feels like a true gift. Tuitert bridges ancient philosophical concepts from the Stoics by bringing them into the 21st century and offers sensible applications that will help readers quickly bring their goals closer.
Tuitert uses his Olympic background as a lens to view Stoicism but is also able to translate his experiences for non-Olympians. Whether readers are starting a business or a family, or just trying to get through the day, Tuitert's anecdotes and practical storytelling leave plenty of room for them to see themselves in this book. Journal prompts at the end of each chapter will help would-be Stoics start experimenting with and embodying the ideas at hand.
In a chapter called "Accept Your Fate (and Love It)," Tuitert quotes the Roman emperor and Stoic Marcus Aurelius: "Not, 'This is a misfortune,' but 'To bear this worthily, is good fortune.' " Tuitert concludes that "you can only find peace after realizing that this fight against your fate is actually a fight against yourself. What you can't change, you have to accept." Although some readers may interpret this as toxic positivity, others will embrace a philosophy that does not require happiness about fate but instead simply promotes the acceptance of fate's inevitability. Tuitert equips readers with a beautiful and compassionate way of looking at life through the ability to find gratitude and the Stoic resolve for joy. --Dominic Charles Howarth, book manager, Book + Bottle