Blog Posts

August 19, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Choose A Sound Foundation For Your Decisions (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.15)

1. Some people make decisions and stand by them, because they believe standing by their decision is the right thing to do. 2. However, standing by one’s decision is good only if the decisions are based on a sound foundation.

August 16, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Align Your Desires With Reality (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.14)

1. The learning process is difficult. While the results are pleasing, the practice is monotonous. 2. The practice of a philosopher is to bring his desires in line with whatever happens. Nothing can happen against his will so his life is free from sorrow, fear, and disturbance.

August 12, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Choose Knowledge Over Anxiety (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.13)

1. When you feel anxious about meeting someone, it is because you believe they have something that you want and you may not get it. 2. This arises out of your ignorance about what is under your control and what is not...

August 9, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

How To Argue (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.12)

1. It is important that our arguments are logical. 2. However, we don’t know how to argue logically. We confuse ourselves and others, become abusive and walk away.

August 5, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Have Standards to Evaluate Your Principles (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.11)

1. We have an innate sense of good and evil, honorable and dishonorable, appropriate and inappropriate. 2. But this innate sense is not sufficient to apply these principles in specific cases, because different people see these things differently.

August 2, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Play Your Different Roles Well (Epictetus’ Discourses in Plain English II.10)

You have different roles to play: a human being, a citizen, a father or a mother, a son or a daughter, and a brother or a sister.

July 29, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Actions Are More Important Than Words

Each person or thing is strengthened and preserved by actions that reflect its nature: Modesty is preserved by modest actions, and trustworthiness is preserved by trustworthy behaviour.

July 29, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

The true nature of God is helpful

The true nature of God is helpful. What is good is also helpful. It seems then that where there is the true nature of God, there is also is the true nature of good.

July 26, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

God Is Knowledge And Reason (Epictetus’ Discourses In Plain English II.8)

The nature of God is in knowledge and right reason. Plants and animals cannot interpret the impressions they receive. So, we cannot apply the terms “good” and “bad” to them.

July 22, 2017 - Ancient Stoicism in Plain English
Tag(s): Book Excerpts

Don’t Fear The Future (Epictetus’ Discourses In Plain English II.7)

Because we are anxious about the future we go to people like fortune-tellers. Even if they can predict the future, they really don’t know what is good for us.