Here, I compare my own views of the good life with Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Confucius, Nietzsche, and Audre Lorde. Like all ancient stoics, Aurelius has confidence that the universe is ruled by Zeus and anything that might look bad for an individual is actually part of Zeus’s plan for the universe. I have no such confidence. Nietzsche and Lorde offer compelling arguments that the good life requires becoming who we are as opposed to conforming to society’s expectations. Nietzsche’s essay “Schopenhauer as Educator” gives a powerful prescription for how to affirm life, by getting in touch with our own inner genius. As I look out on the lives of family, friends, colleagues, philosophers, and literary characters as well as my own life, I see patterns that lead me to some ways of living and away from others. Murder, greediness, and lack of friends seem very bad. Other ways of living—extravagant wealth, 60-hour work weeks, or the life of a hobo—might work for some even while I doubt they would work for me. That said, in my days, hitch-hiking through the United States, Europe, and Morocco I was not far from a hobo. Older now, I am no longer willing to wait for rides by the side of the road or sleep in fields and under bridges when I travel.