The Stoic Magazine Library

Stoic leadership can be as massive as Marcus Aurelius commanding Roman legions, or as quiet as taking a moment to check in on those we are called to guide.

Stoic leadership is indeed possible, but if the Stoic part is not to be undermined and eroded, it will demand a very different kind of “leadership” than what many would-be leaders would be comfortable with.

By preparing for loss, listening with presence, and practicing temperance, we guide others through sorrow, growing in virtue ourselves. We honour the deceased by living well–with the Stoic virtues. When consoling, ask, “What would a Stoic philosopher do?” to embody Stoic resilience.

The most Stoic way to console someone is to simply offer: I am here for any living you still want to do. To be present for life aſter loss. To listen without flinching. To stand with them in quiet dignity until they are ready to move again.

We can’t erase their grief. We can’t hurry their healing. But we can offer a calm unwavering presence.

You don’t need to say the perfect thing. You don’t need the ideal words or a brilliant insight...There is no perfect response.

Grief is the unexpressed love we have for someone who is no longer here to receive it. Grief is inevitable, and that grief will remain with us always, because we always have more love to give.

Rather than saying “Let me know if you need anything,” which puts the burden on the grieving, I’ve learned through my training to suggest specific actions: delivering a meal, walking the dog, offering assistance and support in planning funeral services.

You can determine whether you want to work away at it, to try to erode it over time, to bring that feeling within the scope of a proportionality of response. Or whether you want to keep feeling it. Aſter all, that is indeed something up to you.

We do not practice Stoicism to escape life’s pain, but to face it with dignity. The world may be chaotic. But the mind, well-trained, need not be.

Tranquility is not something that requires or relies on the absence of conflict. It is, instead, the presence of clarity no matter what might be occurring.

It doesn’t matter who is in office, which partly dominates, or whether the culture feels like it’s unraveling. The world changes. Your character doesn’t have to.

Stoicism can guide us through turbulence with loved ones