Sometime around 300 BC, Zeno of Citium founded the first school of Stoicism. Zeno taught his classes at the Stoa Poikile (“Painted Porch”) to what could have only been a few dozen promising students. The stoa (“porch’”) became a place for individuals to gather, exchange ideas, and work on becoming the best version of themselves. There they were challenged, provoked, inspired—holding …
This is a guest post by Donald Robertson. Donald is a cognitive-behavioral psychotherapist, trainer, and writer. Robertson has been tirelessly researching Stoicism and applying it in his work for twenty years. He is also the author of the remarkable new book on Marcus Aurelius, How To Think Like a Roman Emperor *** The Roman emperor …
Stoicism and Pain Management: 4 Techniques Practiced By Marcus Aurelius Read More »
We should never forget the truly tremendous fact that Meditations carries the private thoughts of a man, Marcus Aurelius, during his reign as a virtual god, as the emperor of Rome. If ever there were a man qualified to think himself the center of the universe, Marcus Aurelius was it. And yet, the most powerful …
We Were Made For Each Other: 32 Reminders From One Of History’s Most Powerful Figures Read More »
Something may happen today that upsets you. Someone might be rude, your car could break down, an employee might mess something up despite your very careful instructions. Your instinct may be to yell and get angry. It’s natural. But just because it’s “natural” doesn’t mean it’s a good idea. Remember Marcus Aurelius’ observation, “how much …
Keeping Your Cool: 40 Stoic Quotes On Taming Anger Read More »
Marcus Aurelius was born to a prominent and established family, but nobody at the time would have predicted that he would one day be Emperor of the Roman Empire. The emperor Hadrian was nearing death and chose Antoninus as his successor, with the condition that he adopt Marcus. And in 161, Marcus became the Emperor …
12 Lessons On Leadership From The Last Great Emperor Read More »
There is this constant feeling that there’s always something else we should be doing. We take a short vacation and there is this nagging guilt about the work we’re leaving undone. When we’re with our children, we think about our obligations and when we are busy with our obligations we think about how much we …
30 Stoic Quotes On Confronting And Discarding Anxiety Read More »
Online (and historically), Stoicism can appear to be a male-bent philosophy. This runs contrary to the fact that one of the founding members of Stoicism, Musonius Rufus, said that to study philosophy is simply for someone to “search out and consider how they may lead good lives.” This provoked by the question of whether women …
A Universal Philosophy: Great Insights From Female Stoics Read More »
History tends to show that Stoicism is often popular during times of difficulty or uncertainty. We’re in a resurgence of Stoicism precisely for that reason. Times are tumultuous and obstacles and adversities are plenty. The Stoic philosophers struggled just the same, which is why they write extensively about dealing with adversity. The art of life, …
“Don’t be overheard complaining…Not even to yourself.” — Marcus Aurelius, 8.9 Complaining is easy. It’s as natural to us as breathing. Complaining is describing something—an event, an experience, a person—negatively without any indication of next steps or plans to fix the problem. It requires little thinking and zero action. Whether it be damning God, the …
