“Besides: do you think that I fall into evil voluntarily, and miss the good? Heaven forbid. What, then, is the cause of my going wrong? Ignorance.” Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1.26 When we go astray, it’s not usually because we choose evil knowingly. Epictetus tells us that the real culprit Read more
“If you do the job in a principled way, with diligence, energy, and patience, if you keep yourself free of distractions, and keep the spirit inside you undamaged as if you might have to give it back at any moment – if you embrace this without fear or expectations – Read more
“If you shape your life according to nature, you will never be poor; if according to people’s opinions, you will never be rich.” Seneca, Letters From a Stoic, Letter XVI Seneca draws a sharp contrast between two ways of living: by nature, or by opinion. The position of Stoic philosophy Read more
“Philosophers exhort us not to be contented with mere learning, but to add practice also, and then training.” Epictetus, Discourses, Book 2, Chapter 9.13 Epictetus cuts straight to the heart of philosophy: knowledge without practice is empty. For the Stoics, reading and studying were never enough. What matters is what Read more
“How to act: Cheerfulness. Without requiring other people’s help. Or serenity supplied by others.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 3.5 Cheerfulness may not be the first word that comes to mind when we think of Stoicism. Many assume Stoicism is all about sternness or detachment, but Marcus Aurelius points us in Read more
“For the wise man regards wealth as a slave, the fool as a master, the wise man accords no importance to wealth, but in your eyes wealth is everything.” Seneca, Dialogues and Essays, On the Happy Life, 26 Seneca’s words strike at the core of one of humanity’s oldest temptations, Read more
“…you have not been invited to such a person’s banquet, because you have not paid him the price for which a meal is sold. It is sold for praise; it is sold for attention. Make up the price, then, if that is to your advantage. But if you would at Read more
Introduction – The Gateway to Freedom In Stoic philosophy, your freedom begins in a single moment, the instant you decide whether to agree with what appears before your mind. This moment is called assent (synkatathesis, συγκατάθεσις), the voluntary act of the mind in accepting, rejecting, or suspending judgment about an Read more
“Self-reliance, always. And Cheerfulness.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 1.16 In just five words, Marcus Aurelius offers one of the simplest yet most powerful formulas for inner peace: depend on yourself, and don’t forget to smile. With self-reliance, Marcus means depending on our rational mind and our reason to either assent Read more
“Away with the world’s opinion of you — it’s always unsettled and divided.” Seneca, Letters From a Stoic, Letter XXVI We’ve all been there, second-guessing our choices, biting our tongue, or altering our path just to avoid judgment or win approval. But as Seneca reminds us, the crowd’s opinion is Read more