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From Vol. 2, Issue 3, March 2020

Stoic thoughts for every day of the month

Stoic Everyday || Editor

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1 - Then you will say, “I am a scholar, but no one cares”. Yes, because you are a bad and useless human being. 
[Epictetus, D 2.4] 

2 - We should not speak or act like children who copy the words of their parents. (Don’t blindly follow traditional maxims.) [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.46] 

3 - You do good by being heard and seen, by your expressions, by your gestures, by your determination, and the very way you walk. [Seneca, T 4] 

4 - Now the ship starts to sink. What can you do now? The only thing you can do—sink. But without fear, without crying, and without accusing god; as one who knows what is born must also die. [Epictetus, D 2.5] 

5 - See how fleeting and trivial life is. Yesterday a drop of semen, tomorrow a handful of ashes. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.48] 

6 - A wise person can make his mark even when oppressed. [Seneca, T 4] 

7 - Externals are not in my power. Choice is. Where shall I seek good and evil? Within; in what is my own. When you think of yourself as a part of humanity, then it is natural for you to get sick, face unsafe situations, struggle to make ends meet and even die before your time. Why are you then upset? [Epictetus, D 2.5] 

8 - Spend your brief life as nature asks you to. Then go to your rest with good grace. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.48] 

9 - We should continue to move and not become frozen by fear. [Seneca, T 5] 

10 - Life is indifferent; but the use we make of it is not. [Epictetus, D 2.6] 

11 - Be the rock over which waves keep crashing. It stands firm until the raging of the sea around it falls silent. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.49] 

12 - To keep oneself safe does not mean to bury oneself. [Seneca, T 5] 

13  - If someone tells you that these things are indifferent, don’t become careless about them; if someone advises you to care about them, don’t become miserable or be too impressed by them. [Epictetus, D 2.6] 

14 - Don’t say “How unlucky that this has happened to me!” Say instead “How lucky that this has left me without bitterness, not upset by the present, not afraid of the future!” [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.49] 

15 - It is imperative that we arrive at a true estimate of ourselves, because we, as a rule, overestimate what we can do. [Seneca, T 6] 

16 - When something involves practical training, don’t pretend you have the skill if you don’t have it yet, but yield to those who do. Be content to remain calm and composed. [Epictetus, D2.6] 

17 - So remember this when you are tempted to feel bitter: What happened is no misfortune. To face it and succeed is good fortune. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.49] 

18 - We must examine what we propose to do and compare our ability with it. You should always be stronger than the load you propose to carry. [Seneca, T 6] 

19 - Take responsibility for what belongs to you, not for what belongs to others. [Epictetus, D 2.6] 

20 - If you want to disregard death, think about those who greedily hang on to their life. How are they any better off than those who died young? [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.50] 

21  - You should avoid tasks that lead to more tasks of a different kind. You should avoid tasks you are not free to withdraw from. [Seneca, T 6] 

22  - Don’t ever lay claim to things that do not belong to you. [Epictetus, D 2.6] 

23  - Brief is our lifetime. And to live under these conditions, with these people, and in this miserable body? Don’t get excited about it. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.44] 

24  - Take an active interest in something that you can finish or at least hope to finish. [Seneca, T 6] 

25  - Desire that never fails in its achievement; aversion that never meets with what it wants to avoid; appropriate impulse; carefully considered purpose; and assent that is never precipitate. This is what you shall see. [Epictetus, D 1.8] 

26  - Run the short way. The short way is the way of nature. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.51] 

27  - In choosing our friends, we should be careful. We should consider whether they are worthy of our devoting a part of life to them. [Seneca, T 7] 

28  - If it becomes necessary for me to risk my life for the sake of my friend or even die for him, what occasion is left for me to consult a fortune-teller? [Epictetus, D 2.7] 

29  - Perfecting the soundness of each word and deed is the goal. Follow that and you will be free of anxiety and stress, compromise, and pretension. [Marcus Aurelius, M 4.51] 

30 - You must decide whether your nature is more suited for vigorous action or leisurely study and contemplation. You must turn to that course towards which you are naturally inclined. [Seneca, T7] 

31 - Why then do we consult fortune-tellers so often? Cowardice. Our fear of what may happen. [Epictetus 2.7] 

M=Meditations; D=Discourses; T=On Tranquility