The Stoic Magazine Library

Given the ever-expanding library of content discussing the tenets of Stoicism, one would think that the philosophy could be diluted down to a single essence. There’s an argument to be made that that has already been done with the maxim “live according to Nature”, and I would indeed argue that it has. However, with abstraction comes room for misinterpretation. Put another way, those four words do sum up the entire philosophy, but only if you understand the vast complexities of what it really means.

Despite that, perhaps there is a better way to sum up Stoicism in modern language. Perhaps we can answer the question: what separates a Stoic from a non-Stoic?

Harmony is a word often used when discussing music, but its application doesn't just exist there. One could make the argument that achieving a state of harmony is what Stoicism aims to do! However, we can understand what the Stoics mean by harmony by exploring what it means in music.

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

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.

It is our judgments that cause anger. Therefore, we can reframe our judgments by viewing the situation from a different angle.

While Stoics valued friendship, they also maintained that it’s essential to be emotionally independent. This means that while we should cherish and appreciate our friends, we should not become emotionally reliant on them for our happiness.

Stoicism acknowledges the inevitability of pain and suffering, framing them as natural aspects of life. Accepting this reality allows us to face physical challenges with greater resilience.

This idea is at the heart of Stoicism: true happiness comes from living a virtuous life. Unlike fleeting pleasures or material success, virtue provides lasting fulfillment, regardless of external circumstances.