“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” — Marcus Aurelius. Meditations 2.11
Summum Bonum is an expression from Cicero, Rome’s greatest orator. In Latin, it means “the highest good.” And what is the highest good? What is it that we are supposed to be aiming for in this life? To the Stoics, the answer is virtue. If we act virtuously, they believed, everything else important could follow: […]
Sympatheia (συμπάθεια): sympathy, affinity of parts to the organic whole, mutual interdependence. Revere the gods, and look after each other. Life is short—the fruit of this life is a good character and acts for the common good.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 6.30 “Meditate often on the interconnectedness and mutual interdependence of all things in the universe. […]
A cardinal theme for the Stoics, one which we have covered extensively here, is that of always acting with virtue, dignity, principle and honor. And not only when it’s convenient, but perhaps most importantly, when the costs to yourself might be too high to bear. It is why we were excited when we saw Professor […]
Seneca was a prominent Roman philosopher and playwright who published several essential works about Stoicism. He is considered one of the three key Stoic philosophers (alongside Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus), counseled Emperor Nero, and is often credited with rendering Stoicism more accessible to a larger audience than his counterparts. You can read a longer profile […]
When you inevitably get frustrated with someone today, remember this line from Anthony de Mello: “The question to ask is not, ‘What’s wrong with this person?’ but ‘What does this irritation tell me about myself?'” This question—this pause and then reversal—is an essential element of Stoicism. It goes back to Epictetus who said that we are complicit in […]
When you go to Professor James Miller’s page on The New School’s website, you’d notice at the bottom of the page a section of his interests. The first one? “Philosophy as a way of life.” That’s exactly why we reached out to Professor Miller for an interview to learn more. You probably recognize his name […]
We first interviewed author and scholar James Romm back in 2016 after his review of The Daily Stoic in the Wall Street Journal, but in that interview we focused primarily on James’s great biography of Seneca, Dying Every Day. This year, James is back with another book, this time translating and collecting Seneca’s various thoughts […]
Distilled into one empowering message – take control and responsibility for your own thoughts and actions – Stoicism will set you on a course for personal fulfilment, regardless of the wealth, health or skillset you have at your disposal. No wonder it has all the hallmarks of a highly successful entrepreneurial programme or bestselling personal […]