After hearing author Ryan Holiday on a podcast, I was intrigued with his knowledge of Stoicism and just how the philosophy aligned with my core values. After purchasing The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living and Lives of the Stoics: The Art of Living from Zeno to Marcus Aurelius I decided to document my journey. Here I will share my anecdote while learning and reflecting on Stoicism and how I plan to apply it to my life.
“Many are harmed by fear itself, and many may have come to their fate while dreading fate.”
- Seneca, Oedipus, 992
“I don't agree with those who plunge headlong into the middle of the flood and who, accepting a turbulent life, struggle daily in great spirit with difficult circumstances. The wise person will endure that, but won't choose it — choosing to be at peace, rather than at war.”
- Seneca, Moral Letters, 28.7
“Don't be bounced around, but submit every impulse to the claims of justice, and protect your clear conviction in every appearance.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 4.22
“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.”
- Epictetus, Discourses, 1.18.21
“When I see an anxious person, I ask myself, what do they want? For if a person wasn't wanting something outside of their own control, why would they be stricken by anxiety?”
- Epictetus, Discourses, 2.13.1
“Frame your thoughts like this — you are an old person, you won't let yourself be enslaved by this any longer, no longer pulled like a puppet by every impulse, and you'll stop complaining about your present fortune or dreading the future.”
- Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 2.2