The world needs more people who do what's right, not what's expedient.
The onus on most of us isn't backroom compromises, or keeping our mouths shut until some critical moment in the future. It's closer to the reminder Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself: to be a good person, and to speak the truth as we see it, without hesitation.
The world does not need more Senecas and Ciceros. It needs more people like Thrasea, Helvidius and Cato, who stood up to the powerful at great personal cost. It needs unbending, courageous people. It needs people who, day to day, do what's right, not what's expedient. People who aren't afraid to lose their position, not people who will do anything to keep it.
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The world needs people who call a spade a spade, who speak truth to power, who do not live by lies.
Rome needed more of these people. The modern world does too.
TRY THIS TODAY
Is there something you know to be true that you've been keeping quiet about? Find the right person and say it, calmly and kindly, this week.
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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