Do not judge, but do study how the life of someone that indulges in evils actually works out. Happiness is not within their grasp, far from it. Don’t be like them.
Conduct your life as if you were seated at an elegant banquet. Take moderate and humble portions of what comes your way. If something passes you by, do not insist it come back, if you desire it, wait for it to come to you rather than get up from your seat and chase it down. In this way, all things will come to you in their proper time. Enjoy the present moment and that which is in front of you.
Boy Scouts are told to “Be Prepared.” Good advice for anyone. Prepare for adversity by keeping your mind agile and open to seeing not just what you hope will happen, but all possibilities. This is how you master your freedom.
Our happiness begins and ends with our choices. We control our attitude, our responses, and our happiness.
Don’t make things harder than they need to be. Allowing emotion to creep in where it has no benefit only makes the task set before you more difficult. The actions on the path to virtue are simple, as long as you don’t cloud them with emotion.
Many of the things that upset us are largely a product of our fears and imagination, not rooted in reality. The more real our approach to issues, the more clear our perception.
“Fix” our intelligence, in other words, don’t forget to use it. We have all the intelligence we need, it is forgetting to use it that gets us into trouble.
Guard yourself from being carried away with pleasure. You should always be able to say no to pleasure, not to deny yourself, but to confirm that you are your own master.
Every time you get upset, a little bit of life leaves your body. Guard your emotions like you would precious jewels.
Seek to make sure your understanding of fairness and justice is strong enough to combat the temptations of affluence and authority.
There is nothing more bent on its own strength without reason, nothing more arrogant, nothing more insane than anger.
Practice avoiding anger by examining how others wield it and make a note to stay off that path.
We do not have to hold an opinion on everything, Especially when doing so we know will lead only to aggravation.
When you find yourself acting out in anger, grief or pain, with yelling or complaining, ask yourself: “Is this really helping my situation?”
The answer should be obvious.
The things we fear and dread often become our downfall. Do not let this happen. Look at fear and dread with clear eyes.
Do not seek strife. Do not be afraid of being still. Out of stillness can come tremendous perspective.
Is your day amazing or awful — never in between? If so, your life is out of control. If you feel like you are in a constant state of disorder, it’s time to check yourself. The answer is to remind yourself that all things should be filtered through the lens of justice, reason, and philosophy. This is the true beauty of philosophy, it can help every day in every way.
When you are being challenged, choose not to be provoked or react. Keep your cool. The Stoics described this as our reasoned choice. It is how we stay calm and in control.
The answer is they want something outside of themselves. Do not sacrifice peace of mind for things you do not control. No good can come and you can in fact inflict harm on yourself — in time that can even lead to harming your health.
Friendships of utility are acquaintances, for example, friends at work. These tend to be people you do not hang out with on the weekend. Of course there are friendships of pleasure. These are friends you choose to spend time with and whom you find fun and entertaining. The deepest friendships are virtuous. These are the people that matter to you and you to them. Our life to be complete needs all three types of friendships.
Becoming angry takes you off your game. Anger is a mistake. It is weakness. Beware this can be a trap that someone lays for you — like a lob or a bad line call in Pickleball…
Proper use of philosophy requires medicinal application. Stoicism is medicine for the soul (as are other schools of philosophy). Apply it carefully and only in the cure of specific problems. It gives us what we need to manage our days thoughtfully and with tranquility. Use Stoicism to bring us back to clarity when our lives get too busy or out of control.
You don’t have to know everything and never pretend to know something you actually know nothing about. Be humble about your knowledge. Furthermore, shun those who have an answer for everything and insist they know better than anyone else.
Don’t overthink things. Keep it simple. Try to focus on just what is in front of you. Master your craft and resist the temptation to take on other people’s responsibility — or interfere in their pursuit of it.
Use wise people to serve as role models.
Study diligently but remember to put what you learn into action, for words alone are not enough to support you when faced with trials.