What Is Stoicism? A Definition & 9 Stoic Exercises To Get You Started
For those of us who live our lives in the real world, there is one branch of philosophy created just for us: Stoicism. A brief synopsis and definition on this particular school of Hellenistic philosophy: Stoicism was founded in Athens by Zeno of Citium in the early 3rd century BC,...
Nonconformity, Self-Reliance, And Starting Over: An Interview With Bestselling Author Chris Guillebeau
Epictetus tells us about how the Stoic Agrippinus was like a red thread, the piece of fabric that stands out. People often asked Agrippinus why he couldn’t just be “normal,” why he couldn’t just be like everyone else. “And if I do that,” Agrippinus liked to answer, “How shall I...
A Crisis Can Make You Better. But Only If You Have This Mindset
Sign up for the Daily Stoic Alive Time Challenge—14 days of actionable challenges rooted in the best of Stoic philosophy—and emerge from this crisis stronger! *** Before he was an oilman, John D. Rockefeller was a bookkeeper and aspiring investor—a small-time financier in Cleveland, Ohio. The son of a criminal...
The Power Of Consistency: An Interview With Behavior Change Expert And Bestselling Author Stephen Guise
The Stoics believed that in an unpredictable world, order is a prerequisite of excellence and good habits are a safe haven of certainty. They were all about systems, routines, and repetition. It wasn’t just about knowing what the right thing was, it was about doing it daily. Fueling the habit...
Understanding And Responding To Natural Catastrophe: An Interview With Anthony Long
Marcus Aurelius wrote in his diary at some point during the Antonine plague—which spanned fifteen years of his reign—that history has a way of repeating itself. “To bear in mind constantly that all of this has happened before,” he said in Meditations. “And will happen again." We had the opportunity...
Time Management: 6 Techniques From The Stoic Philosopher Seneca
“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so wants nothing. The greatest blessings of mankind are within us and within...
When the System Breaks Down, Leaders Stand Up
BY RYAN HOLIDAY It began in the East. At least, that’s what the experts think. Maybe it came from animals. Maybe it was the Chinese. Maybe it was a curse from the gods. One thing is certain: it radiated out east, west, north, and south, crossing borders, then oceans, as...
Who Is Porcia Cato? An Introduction To The Stoic Superwoman
Porcia Catonis (or Porcia “of Cato”), was the daughter of the renowned Roman Stoic philosopher Cato the Younger—an enemy of the dictator Julius Caesar—and his first wife, Atilia. She was known for her beauty and bold personality, as well as for her marriage (her second) to Marcus Junius Brutus, who...
Remember: You Don’t Control What Happens, You Control How You Respond
The single most important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over and what we do not. “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself...
Man’s Search For Meaning By Viktor Frankel: Book Summary, Key Lessons and Best Quotes
In September of 1942, a young psychiatrist found himself standing in line just outside of a Nazi concentration camp. At the time, nobody knew the extent of the atrocities committed by the Nazi regime. Prisoners, who at first thought they were entering a temporary holding camp, quickly realized the hopelessness...
How To Find Peace: 8 Stoic Lessons You Can Start Today
Peace of mind is something many look for, but few achieve. How wonderful it would be if we could be one of those fortunate souls that seem to be distrbed by nothing and nobody. People like Fred Rogers, the children’s television show host, who always seemed to have a serene...
