In this remarkable collection of ten tales, the renowned psychiatrist Professor Irvin D. Yalom describes the suffering and struggles of the patients he treated—as well as his own—in confronting the two great challenges of existence: how to live a purposeful, meaningful life while simultaneously acknowledging its inevitable end. *Mortal Lessons* is a candid testament to the hardships inherent in the human condition, yet it is also a celebration of some of the most exquisite fruits that life has to offer—love, family, and friendship.
As Marcus Aurelius wrote in his *Meditations*: "We are all mortal creatures—the one who remembers and the one who is remembered alike. Everything is ephemeral—both the memory and the things remembered; soon you will have forgotten everything, and everything will have forgotten you." Always remember that, before long, you will be no one and nowhere. In the stories Professor Yalom shares with us, we discover not merely the means to make our days bearable, but the ways to make them meaningful and joyful as well.