The wicked do what the wicked have always done. Stop expecting them to be anything else.
So many people tried to contain Nero, Seneca among them. In the end, he did what all narcissists do: he listened to his delusions, not his advisers. He couldn't help himself.
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It is crazy to want what is impossible. And impossible for the wicked not to do so.
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS
This is what Aesop's fable about the scorpion and the frog is about. It's what so much ancient literature tries to remind us of. Cruel people do cruel things. Selfish people act selfishly. Destructive people do destructive things.
Yet we don't listen. We fail to learn the lesson, and so we get hurt. The world shows us, painfully and repeatedly, the cost of not heeding this basic warning.
The wicked do what wicked people have always done. They are who they are. Stop expecting them to be anything else.
TRY THIS TODAY
Where are you still hoping someone will change their nature? Write down how you'd act if you accepted that they won't.
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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