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From Vol. 4, Issue 4, April 2022

Stoic quotes for every day of the month

Stoic Everyday || Editor

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1 - Give up everything and let everything go. There is only one exception to this: our judgments. They are accordance with nature and it is each person’s special property. [Epictetus D4.7]

2 - Am I doing anything? I do it for the good of humankind. Does anything happen to me? I receive it as coming from the gods, from that universal source from which everything flows. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.23]

3 - ​​​​​​​Let reasonable people think how many things they do contrary to good morals, how much of what they have done needs pardoning. Then they will soon become angry with themselves too. [Seneca, A1.14]

4 - ​​​​​​​Never praise or blame a person for things that may be either good or bad; don’t think of it as evidence of that person’s skill or lack of it. This way, you will escape hasty judgment and malice. [Epictetus D4.8]

5 - ​​​​​​​Where are they now – the noble-minded, the insightful, and the proud? … All lasting just a day. All dead and gone now. Some forgotten as soon as dead, some became legends, and then faded legends. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.25]

6 - Everyone who calls himself innocent looks to external witnesses rather than to his own conscience. [Seneca, A1.14]

7 - ​​​​​​​Until you know a person’s judgment behind their actions, you should neither praise nor criticize their actions. [Epictetus D4.8]

8 - ​​​​​​​So, remember that your complex body is also broken up one day and scattered. What makes it move will not be there anymore. It will be removed somewhere and transformed. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.25]

9 - How much kinder it is to deal with the those who err in a gentle and paternal way, and to direct them to the right course than to punish them! [Seneca, A1.14]

10 - You cannot decide easily the nature of judgment behind an action by outward appearances. [Epictetus D4.8]

11 - Your true delight lies in doing things you are made for. You are made to show goodwill to others, to rise above temptations, to distinguish appearances from reality, and to understand nature and how it works. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.26]

12 - ​​​​​​​When someone wanders about our fields because they have lost their way, it is better to place them on the right path than to chase them away. [Seneca, A1.15]

13 - ​​​​​​​“Whatever I did, I did for my own sake and not for the sake of those watching me. It was for me that I ate properly, looked calm in the way I looked and moved. All this was for me.”- Euphrates. [Epictetus D4.8]

14 - ​​​​​​​We have three relationships: With our body that envelops us, with the divine that causes everything; and with our fellow human beings. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.27]

15 - ​​​​​​​Who would be angry with the patient while nursing their wounds? [Seneca, A1.15]

16 - ​​​​​​​Was it by proclaiming and saying, “I am such and such a man.”? Far from it. It was being such and such a man. [Epictetus D4.8]

17 - Pain affects either the body or the soul. The body can speak for itself but the soul has the power to be serene and tranquil, choosing not to be affected. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.28]

18 - Do we hate our limbs when we need to cut them off? It is not an act of anger but a regrettable method of healing. [Seneca, A1.15]

19 - ​​​​​​​It is the part of a fool and show-off to say, “I am tranquil and serene.” This is boastful and vulgar. [Epictetus D4.8]

20 - ​​​​​​​All our decisions, impulses, desires, or aversions come from within us. No evil can force its way here. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.28]

21 - ​​​​​​​To separate what is useless from what is sound is not an act of anger, but an act of reason. [Seneca, A1.15]

22 - ​​​​​​​Practice so you don’t let people know who you are at first. Keep your philosophy to yourself for a while. This is how fruit is produced: the seed must be buried and hidden for a season; it must then grow slowly to perfection. [Epictetus D4.8]

23 - ​​​​​​​Erase all you imagine and keep telling yourself, “It is within my power to make sure that no evil, no lust, and no confusion finds a home in my soul. I have the power to see everything the way it is and deal with it accordingly.” Remember, you have this authority. It is nature’s gift to you. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.28]

24 - ​​​​​​​A penalty is more potent if it is carried out without rage. Therefore, nothing is less suitable than for the punisher to inflict the punishment with anger. [Seneca, A1.15]

25 - ​​​​​​​When you see someone in power, compare it to the benefit you have by not wanting it. When you see someone rich, see what you have instead of riches. [Epictetus D4.9]

26 - ​​​​​​​Give your full attention to what is in front of you – an object, an action, a principle, or the meaning of what someone says. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.22]

27 - ​​​​​​​Who can boast that they have their passions under control when Socrates did not dare to trust himself to his anger? [Seneca, A1.15]

28 - If you have the advantage of not needing riches, know that you have something more than what the other person has, and of far greater value. Someone has an attractive spouse; you, the happiness of not desiring one. [Epictetus D4.9]

29 - Speak in the right tone, without trying to impress, whether you are speaking in public or to someone in particular. Speak plainly. [Marcus Aurelius, M8.29]

30 - “I would strike you, were I not angry.” Attributed to Socrates. [Seneca, A1.15]

D: Discourses. M: Meditations. A: On Anger