“There is good in everything, if only we look for it.”
Laura Ingalls Wilder had a hard scrabble existence. From the Kansas prairies to the backwoods of Florida, she and her family eked out a life from some of the most unforgiving environments on the planet. She endured—and eventually thrived—despite this, due primarily to her Stoic optimism. “There is good in...
Train Perception to Avoid Good and Bad
“Choose not to be harmed and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed and you haven’t been.” - Marcus Aurelius The Stoics had an exercise called Turning the Obstacle Upside Down. What they meant to do was make it impossible to not practice the art of philosophy. Because if you...
6 Seneca Quotes To Start Your Day
“Think your way through difficulties: harsh conditions can be softened, restricted ones can be widened, and heavy ones can weigh less on those who know how to bear them.” “Let all your activity be directed to some object, let it have some end in view.” “Often a...
Don’t Read The News Today
Today you will be tempted—pressured even—to stay up on current events. To watch the news, to read a few articles, to check the stream of real-time events on Twitter. Resist this impulse. Remember what Thoreau said: “To a philosopher, all news, as it is called, is gossip, and...
No One Can “Make You” Upset
There is a wonderful quote from Epictetus that I think of every time I see someone get terribly offended or outraged about something. I try to think about it when I get upset about anything, myself. “If someone succeeds in provoking you,” he said, “realize that your mind is complicit...
Wisdom is Clarity. Clarity is Freedom.
You may have noticed that the study of Stoicism involves a drastic reduction in what one needs to focus on or worry about. The practicing stoic needn’t obsess about the future or the past. They don’t need to be made insecure about the material possessions or successes of others, or...
Whoever You Are, Whatever You’re Doing
The three most prominent stoics in Roman history led lives on opposite ends of the social spectrum. Epictetus was a slave, banished at one point from Rome by order of the Emperor Domitian. Marcus Aurelius, found himself suddenly ascended to the throne as Emperor of Rome—the most powerful man on...
Can Stoics Be Charismatic?
I’m an aspiring Stoic. Emphasis on the word aspiring. When I share this burgeoning desire with friends or show family members I’m reading a book on Epictetus, the response is universal: “A Stoic? But you’re so friendly.” When most people hear the word ‘Stoic’ they conjure up a mental cliche...
The Body is a Garden, The Will is a Gardener
The post below was originally sent as part of the Daily Stoic email where we bring you one Stoic meditation per day. When you sign up, you will also automatically get a free 7-day deep dive into Stoicism—from an introduction to the most popular resources to Stoic exercises. Sign up...
What Is ‘Southern Stoicism’? An Interview with Professor Peter Lawler
Most people’s introduction to the so-called “Southern Stoicism” is in the writings of one of the great novelists, Walker Percy (Percy happened to come from a long line of Stoics as you’ll see). And anyone interested in this specific offshoot of Stoic philosophy and American history inevitably find themselves drawn...
