ITT discuss disappointing books to avoid

[containercore]

Now here me out, I'm not saying to avoid the Meditations or that it isn't worth reading. But it's been memed about 10,000x more than it ever should have been, to the point where it's probably the most read book from Classical Antiquity in the modern day. Seneca's letters are a way better read if you're determined to read the Stoics. The Meditations are pretty boring, repetitious and kind of joyless... You're better off reading literally anything else from the Greeks and Romans. But Stoicism has become a sort of self-help meme because it helps you be a more efficient grindsetter in late stage Capitalist Hell. Reading Aeschylus, Plutarch or Herodotus etc. will probably be a more substantive experience, even if your main goal is still to become one of the Spartans from the 300 movie (which is the type of guy I imagine is the target audience for the Meditations in current year).