I have been following stoicism for the past two years now. The teachings of the ancient greek philosophy are profound and teach us how to go through life while being unfaced by happiness and hardships. I have made several posts with teachings from stoicism, but it's just the tip of the iceberg. Today, I'd like to register more quotes from stoicism.
"What is then to be properly educated? It is learning to apply our natural preconceptions to the right things according to Nature, and beyond that to separate the things that lie within our power from those that don't."
Epictetus
"I may wish to be free from torture, but if the time comes for me to endure it, I'll wish to bear it courageously with bravery and honor. Wouldn't I prefer not to fall into war? But if war does befall me, I'll wish to carry nobly the wounds, starvation, and other necessities of war. Neither am I so crazy as to desire illness, but if I must suffer an illness, I'll wish to do nothing rash or dishonorable. The point is not to wish for these adversities, but for the virtue that makes adversities bearable."
Seneca
"Today, I escaped from the crush of circumstances, or better put, I threw them out, for the crush wasn't from outside me but in my own assumptions."
Marcus Aurelius
"On rough days, we might say, "My work is overwhelming," or "My boss is really frustrating." If only we could understand that this is impossible. Someone can't frustrate you; work can't overwhelm you — these are external objects, and they have no access to your mind. Those emotions you feel, as real as they are, come from the inside, not the outside."
Ryan Holiday
"Zeno (founder of stoicism) would also say that nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp of knowledge than self-deception."
Diogenes Laertius
"It is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows."
Epictetus
"People seek retreats for themselves in the country, by the sea, or in the mountains. You are very much in the habit of yearning for those same things. But this is entirely the trait of a base person when you can, at any moment, find such a retreat in yourself. For nowhere can you find a more peaceful and less bust retreat than in your own soul — especially if, on close inspection, it is filled with ease, which I say is nothing more than being well-ordered. Treat yourself often to this retreat and be renewed."
Marcus Aurelius
"Freedom isn't secured by filling up on your heart's desire but by removing your desire."
Epictetus
"A dog that's allowed to chase cars will chase cars. A child who is never given any boundaries will become spoiled. An investor without discipline is not an investor — he's a gambler. A mind that isn't in control of itself, that doesn't understand its power to regulate itself will be jerked around by external events and unquestioned impulses."
Ryan Holiday
"Circumstances are what deceive us — you must be discerning in them. We embrace evil before good. We desire the opposite of what we once desired. Our prayers are in war with our prayers, our plans with our plans."
Seneca
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
