“Difficulties are the things that show what men are.” Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 24.1 Life will test you. Sometimes quietly, like a slow leak in your plans. Other times, like a tidal wave, fast and unforgiving. But to the Stoics, none of this is reason to despair. In Read more
“You too should drop your desire; do not covet many things, and you will get what you want.” Epictetus, Discourses, Book 3, Chapter 9.22 Temperance is one of the four cardinal virtues in Stoicism, yet it’s often overlooked against more popular ideas like courage or fate. But temperance, the discipline Read more
“If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Democritus, Frg. B.3 (as quoted by Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.24) At first glance, this advice sounds like a call to laziness. But Marcus Aurelius, ever the clarifier, adds a twist: “Or rather, do only what’s essential.” In other words, the Stoic approach to doing Read more
“True happiness, therefore, resides in virtue.” Seneca, On the Happy Life, Chapter 16 What if everything you’re chasing, success, status, wealth, was beside the point? Seneca believed that true happiness doesn’t come from our circumstances, but from how we live. According to Stoicism, happiness isn’t something we find. It’s something Read more
“First say to yourself, what manner of man you want to be; when you have settled this, act upon it in all you do.” Epictetus, The Discourses, Book 3, Chapter 23.1 What does it mean to live with purpose? Not in the vague, Instagram-inspirational sense, but truly, intentionally, with a Read more
“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” Seneca, Letters to Lucilius, Letter 71.3 What use is a strong wind if you have no destination? Seneca’s words cut through the noise of busyness, ambition, and distraction. They remind us that without a clear sense Read more
What Is Logos in Stoicism? Logos is one of the most foundational ideas in Stoic philosophy and also one of the most misunderstood. Often translated as “reason” or “rational principle,” Logos in Stoicism goes far beyond just logic or clear thinking. For the Stoics, Logos is the intelligent order behind Read more
“To stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one.” Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, Book 10.16 How can we be good in Practice? We love to talk about ideals and perfection. What makes someone “good”? What would the Stoic sage do? Marcus Aurelius cuts through the noise. Read more
“It is not that we have a brief length of time to live, but that we squander a great deal of that time.” Seneca, On the Shortness of Life, 1 This is the moment we reclaim our time and we can use Stoicism to do so. We rarely say it Read more
What Epictetus Teaches Us About Presence “What harm is there while you are kissing your child to say softly, ‘Tomorrow you will die’.” Epictetus, Discourses, Book 3, Chapter 24.87 It sounds harsh at first, too blunt, maybe even morbid. But Epictetus is not trying to shock us. He’s guiding us Read more