The Stoics knew how to say more by saying less. Every word they wrote, every speech they gave, every lesson they taught contained only what was essential and nothing excessive. In Epictetus’ Enchiridion, every word hits the soul and immediately sparks philosophical reflection. In Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations, the reader can’t help but highlight and underline […]
We all struggle to maintain a state of happiness and contentment. Even the enlightened Stoic philosophers we admire today had their moments of struggle. Marcus Aurelius, for example, had 13 children with his wife Faustina, and only four of them would out-live their father. Epictetus suffered from an abusive master who injured his leg so […]
In August of 1919, the great psychologist Milton Erickson was diagnosed with polio, a debilitating virus that spread throughout the United States in the early 20th century. Only 17 at the time, Milton overheard his doctor saying he would be dead by the following morning. Hours turned into days, and days turned into weeks. Soon […]
Have you noticed how much of Marcus Aurelius‘ Meditations is about other people? The opening, “Debts and Lessons”—seventeen entries in which he reflects upon the various influential individuals in his life—makes up nearly ten percent of the book. Almost every other page has at least one quote or one story or one mention of a […]
“Midway upon the journey of our life, I found myself within a forest dark, for the straightforward pathway had been lost.” — Dante, The Divine Comedy Imagine how much easier life would be if we could learn to regard everything bad that happens to us as an act of nature. To keep our cool in […]
Ada Palmer is a Professor of Early Modern European History at the University of Chicago, specializing in Renaissance history and the history of ideas. She did her Ph.D at Harvard, during which she spent time researching and studying in Florence and Rome, then co-authored The Recovery of Ancient Philosophy in the Renaissance: A Brief Guide […]