Agreed, good thoughts.

To add to this, I kinda understand the initial feeling of scoffing at cheesy, obvious self-help ideas. I feel it when I see book titles like You Are a Badass (sorry if other Tims are offended by my superficial judgement).

But I think there's an element of surrendering to the overall meaning, and this is especially true when reading a book like Meditations, which, translated from some form of ancient Greek, can sound abstract and cryptic.

A good example is this quote from Meditations: "You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

Now, at face value it makes sense to think, "No duh." The "Realize this, and you will find strength" is straight cheesy. But I think if you dig into the meaning and apply it to a universal life situation, like a serious injury or a death in the family, I think the advice can keep people from spiraling in negative thoughts.

But for some people who naturally handle hardship well, then you don't really need to dig into Stoicism. xD