The Stoic Magazine Library

You can be placid and calm, merely observing and reflecting back what you think the world wants to see in you. Or you can be vibrant and participatory, giving space for both yourself and others to flourish through your actions.

All that Stoicism teaches us about not being swept away by useless passions originates exactly here – with not being swept away by random thoughts.

We need not just to empty or free up our minds, but even more to fill them with philosophical principles. ...We need to be continually turning them over in our minds, so we really understand them when they’re needed.

This is an extract from Ron Pies’ new book “The Anatomy of Gratitude”. In this extract, Ron Pies summarizes the key principles of Stoicism from his perspective. (The extract is a slighly edited version of the original, with subheads added.)

Taking pleasure in everyday things

No Stoic would suggest to you that you should stifle your joy and gladness.

Pleasure is but one byproduct that comes from living well. And we shouldn’t feel guilty that we feel pleasure from time to time, especially if that pleasure comes from doing those right things.

GUEST POST. Andrew stumbled on Meditations at age sixteen, and Marcus Aurelius and Socrates took up residence in the back of his brain soon aſter. He's a former journalist interested in ancient history, philosophy, nutrition, and partner acrobatics. He writes about applying practical philosophy to modern life at Socratic State of Mind. You can find Andrew Perlot on Substack: https://andrewperlot.substack.com/

Life calculated and “integrated” in a Stoic manner may truly be the most satisfying of all. Can’t we just call it a pleasure?

We have already quoted some of the most prominent Stoic philosophers, or those whose writing reflected the Stoic point of view. Now we’ll dig down a bit deeper into the writings of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Cicero, with a nod to the medieval philosopher and Roman senator, Anicius Manlius Severinus Boethius (480-524 CE), commonly known as Boethius. I’ll provide some additional commentary on some of the key passages below. [https://www.orionphilosophy.com/stoic-blog/stoicquotes- on-discipline]

How we start, spend, and end each day will have universal themes. When in doubt, remind yourself that Stoicism is oſten more simple than you may realize: do your best to act appropriately

Using Stoic philosophy in everyday life will build resilience and prepare you for more extreme challenges.

Who cares if you do one incredibly brave thing in some pivotal moment if in all the quiet moments of your life, you chose to be unkind, inconsiderate, intemperate, and foolish?