The Stoics lived more than 2,000 years ago, but their wisdom has stayed true through the ages. I've found it very helpful in my life, and I'm sure you will in yours.
Stoicism isn't about hiding your feelings or putting up with everything. It's a practical way to live. Focus on what you can control. Let go of what you can't. Try to be a good person, one day at a time.
On this page you'll find the ideas I come back to most, my favourite quotes and a set of short lessons you can read in a few minutes each.
Stoicism began in Athens around 300 BC. A merchant named Zeno started teaching on a painted porch called the Stoa Poikile, and the porch gave the philosophy its name. It was never meant for a classroom. It was built for real life, and it was practised by emperors, statesmen, soldiers and slaves alike.
Some things are up to you and some things are not. Your choices, your effort, your words and how you respond are up to you. Other people's opinions, the weather, the economy and the past are not. Put your energy into the first list and stop worrying about the second.
Seeing things as they really are, and knowing what matters and what doesn't.
Doing what's right when it's hard, uncomfortable or unpopular.
Treating people fairly and doing your part for the people around you.
Self-control. Doing the right amount, in the right way, at the right time.
Roman emperor, 161 to 180 AD
The most powerful man in the world in his day. His private journal, now known as Meditations, was never meant to be published. Nearly 2,000 years later, it's still one of the most useful books you can read.
Statesman and writer, about 4 BC to 65 AD
A Roman statesman, playwright and one of the richest people of his time. His letters to his friend Lucilius give plain advice on time, money, fear, grief and friendship.
Teacher, about 50 to 135 AD
Born a slave, he became one of Rome's great teachers. He taught that no one can harm your mind unless you let them. His student Arrian wrote down his lessons, which became the Discourses and the Enchiridion.
THE ONE THAT GUIDES ME
Don't seek to be a person of Importance. Seek to be a person of Value.
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Our true voyage is not outward towards glory, but inward towards wisdom.
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Comparison is the thief of joy.
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The Golden Rule: be kind to others. The Platinum Rule: be kind to yourself.
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It's not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it.
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Knowing others is intelligence. Knowing yourself is true wisdom.
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The world rewards the specific ask and punishes the vague wish.
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It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.
MARCUS AURELIUS
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If you don't regard what you have as enough, you will never be happy, even if you rule the entire world.
SENECA
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Do what matters while you still can. Don't wait for the perfect moment to arrive. Don't waste time chasing certainty or comfort. You are here: impossibly, improbably, miraculously here. That is reason enough to act. To love. To show up.
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How long are you going to wait before you demand the best from yourself? Now is for certain. Later is a lie. It's only going to get harder the longer you wait.
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The meaning of life: enjoying the passage of time.
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Your boos don't mean anything to me. I've seen what you people cheer for.
RICK SANCHEZ, RICK AND MORTY
62 short lessons in six groups. Tap a lesson for a quick summary, then read the full page. New to Stoicism? Start with the four essential rules of Epictetus.
START HERE
Four essential rules of Epictetus
Focus only on what's in your control. Put every thought to the test. Grab things by the right handle. Choose not to take offence. Four rules from a former slave who became one of Rome's greatest teachers.
Read the four rulesFour essential rules of Epictetus
These four rules sit at the heart of everything Epictetus taught. Start here.
Who is your master?
To the Stoics, freedom, true power and greatness came from one thing: being in command of yourself.
Power does not make you powerful
Rank, money and fame don't make a person great. Character does.
There are lots of vices, and we're all slaves to at least a few of them
Lust. Envy. Ignorance. Power. Ambition. Stoicism is a philosophy designed to help us fight them.
Confidence is quiet
Real confidence doesn't need to be celebrated or worshipped. Ego is the enemy.
How to increase your aura
Eight simple habits that build a quiet, steady presence.
The inner scorecard
What matters is what you know is right, and whether you do it.
Don't let them touch your inner citadel
No one can steal your happiness unless you hand it over.
Our power lies in the agency we have over the only empire we control: ourselves
Bad people will always exist. Don't let them waste your opportunities too.
The world today does not understand the need to be alone
Some of the most important times in your life are the ones you spend alone.
There's never a bad time to take a fearless moral inventory
An honest look at your habits: which ones are working for you, and which ones aren't?
How long are you going to wait before you demand the best from yourself?
Epictetus asked his students this question nearly 2,000 years ago. It still stings.
Be the person who does things now and not later
It's not going to be any easier later. It might not be that hard right now.
Don't be afraid to start
It could fail. It could go badly. But how will you know until you start?
Your best year won't happen by accident
No one ever became better by chance. You will make as much progress as you try to make.
Be the saviour you'd have otherwise waited around for
Nobody is coming to fix it. Get active in your own rescue.
Do what you say
It's not about meaning well. It's about doing well.
Do your work
Success happens action by action. Little things add up to the big things.
Be disciplined and take control
Discipline means doing it anyway.
Daily actions turn you into who you want to be
Virtue is a skill. You don't have it. You do it.
Small (or medium) daily actions have remarkable long-term effects
Do the important things on most days, and watch what happens.
Aim for progress, not perfection
Waiting for perfection means just that: endless waiting.
Focus on the essential
“If you seek tranquillity, do less.” Not nothing. Less.
There is so much going on, so much to follow, so much to be concerned about
A simple system for a crowded day: three things, in order, one at a time.
Without a disciplined schedule, procrastination moves in
Life without a design is erratic. Build routines that box out the chaos.
Choose the challenge
At every small crossroads, take the option that challenges you most.
No citizen has any right to be an amateur in the matter of physical training
Philosophy isn't only for the mind. The Stoics trained their bodies too.
Marcus Aurelius' best rules for productivity and handling challenges
Four rules from the philosopher king for getting things done and getting through hard times.
Ask for help and guidance
You can't get help you don't ask for.
Try to think of the reasons people are acting that way
Before you get upset, remember there may be something you don't know.
Be strict with yourself and understanding of others
Stoicism is meant to guide your own actions, not to judge everyone else's.
Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself
Other people's behaviour is their business. Yours is yours.
A Stoic doesn't waste energy wishing people were different
In the end, the only thing you control is you.
People do what they do
We should not expect otherwise. Only a fool expects figs in winter.
Marcus Aurelius likens difficult people to cheaters in the ring
Keep your guard up, and don't offer them soft targets.
So many people advised Nero against his various schemes
The wicked do what the wicked have always done. Stop expecting them to be anything else.
We don't control what other people do
But we certainly control what we do.
It's a dark world filled, sadly, with dark people
It's ugly out there. We don't have to be ugly.
The low road will always dog you
Take the high road. You'll sleep better for it.
Never be overheard complaining, not even to yourself
Look inward, not outward.
Some people think Stoicism is indifference or apathy, but it isn't
It's the ability to keep your cool when everything around you is pushing you to lose it.
Let go of anxiety
The source of our anxiety lies within. So does the power to let it go.
Don't suffer imagined troubles
Stick with the situation at hand.
Falling short today doesn't have to mean everything is falling apart
A cough can just be a cough. A poor presentation can just be one data point.
All you control is how you play
Tune out the noise. Focus on your own effort.
Nobody likes it when someone tears your work apart
Take what's useful from criticism, and discard the rest.
This is what I trained for
Stoicism was built for hard times. When they come, use it.
Be ready. Be prepared. Deal with it.
Things are going to happen. You've been warned.
Could it get any worse?
Yes, it could. Don't curse these crazy times. Make something of them.
From the window of an aeroplane, everything looks small
Step back and look at the bigger picture. You'll see more clearly.
You're not just enduring. You're becoming.
Hard times are where strength comes from.
Put people first
Real leaders give up their own comfort to help others.
As leaders, we cannot allow people to tell us what we want to hear
The best leaders surround themselves with people who challenge them, not people who flatter them.
We need people to tell us the truth, to keep us accountable
Not because we're bad, but because we're human.
The onus on most of us is to speak the truth as we see it
The world needs more people who do what's right, not what's expedient.
A Stoic doesn't always win, but they never go quietly along
Courage and conviction, for the principles you believe in.
We are not senators, but we are human beings
Do your job. Help the people closest to you. Meet unkindness with kindness.
Be a bright light
Resist shallowness and cruelty, without bitterness or despair.
Look at you. You're better than this. You can do more.
The Stoics pointed out failures only to say: you are capable of better.
Most people are enslaved and controlled and directed by their ignorance
Wisdom isn't given. It's earned, and it sets you free.
We must learn what's important and what isn't
Discernment is a skill no one is born with, and no one can do for you.
How do you know what the right thing is?
No one ever became excellent by chance.
01
Each morning, ask yourself one question: what is in my control today? Put your energy there, and let the rest go.
02
Seneca pictured what could go wrong before it happened. Before a big day, think through the bumps and decide how you'll respond. Then very little catches you off guard.
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Seneca ended each day with three questions. What did I do well? Where did I fall short? What will I do better tomorrow? Five minutes, every night.
Meditations · Marcus Aurelius
Letters from a Stoic · Seneca
Discourses and Enchiridion · Epictetus
The Daily Stoic · Ryan Holiday and Stephen Hanselman
The Obstacle Is the Way · Ryan Holiday
Much of what I've learned about Stoicism comes from Ryan Holiday. Find more of his writing at dailystoic.com and ryanholiday.net.
While I have edited much of this content, there are some cases where I have taken Ryan Holiday's words directly. I've included them because I think they are powerful and will be helpful for you. They are also helpful for me, and I've put them here so I can learn and understand more myself.
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