Welcome to 2023! Here's are some quotes I came across this week amidst all the celebrations. These quotes are from stoicism, which is all about staying stoic and calm during moments of happiness or sadness alike. In his book "The Daily Stoic", Ryan Holiday offers daily stoic meditations based on monthly themes like gratitude, awareness, unbiased thought, etc. The theme for December was "Meditation on Mortality," which emphasizes the inevitability of death and how embracing death as a part of life is essential for every human being. These quotes are from the three most famous stoic philosophers, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, whom Ryan quotes throughout the book.
"To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden." — Seneca.
"Everything lasts for a day, the one who remembers and the remembered." — Marcus Aurelius.
"Do you then ponder how the supreme of human evils, the surest mark of the base and cowardly, is not death, but the fear of death? I urge you to discipline yourself against such fear, direct all your thinking, exercises, and reading this way — and you will know the only path to human freedom." — Epictetus.
"Think of the whole universe of matter and how small your share. Think about the expanse of time and how brief—almost momentary—the part marked for you. Think of the workings of fate and how infinitesimal your role." — Marcus Aurelius.
"It's better to conquer grief than to deceive it." — Seneca.
"Think of life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what's left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love the hand that fate deals you and play it as your own, for what could be more fitting?" — Marcus Aurelius.
"Keep death and exile before your eyes each day, along with everything that seems terrible—by doing so, you'll never have a base thought nor will you have excessive desire." — Epictetus.
"Let us prepare our minds as if we'd come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life's books each day.... The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time." — Seneca.
"Don't behave as if you are destined to live forever. What's fated hangs over you. As long as you live and while you can, become good now." — Marcus Aurelius.
"This is the mark of perfection of character—to spend each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, laziness, or any pretending." — Marcus Aurelius.
This new year, let us keep in mind that our time on earth is limited. Time is our most precious resource, and let's make the best out of it. Happy New Year 2023! Thanks for reading. Cheers!
