Stoic Philosophy

God has been teaching me lessons on managing and controlling my thoughts + emotions. This is something I will need to continue to practice and work on for the rest of my life.

It’s an idea of stoicism, non-dualism, detachment, surrender, non-judgement, non-resistance, indifference, tolerance, perseverance, self-control, neutrality, having inner stability, peace, and self-confidence.

Letting go is something I have never been good at. I over-analyze excessively from every angle. Yes it makes for a good tactician or strategist that can critically think. But it is not healthy to dwell, ruminate or get fixated on someone or something. We have tens of thousands of thoughts every day. Many can be negative thoughts. We are not to suppress, repress, project, avoid, or look for escape when these thoughts arise. We must practice letting them go.

As much as you wish life played out differently, you must detach from expected outcomes, accept truth and reality and let go of any pain you harbor. Grief is holding on desperately to something lost. Kicking and screaming won't make a difference. Letting go is acknowledging what we can't control, and knowing that God is.

If you can embody and apply it’s principles and concepts it’s actually quite life-changing. What draws me to becoming more stoic is seeing how applicable and relevant it is every day. 

Part of stoicism is defined as the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feeling and without a compliant. Instead we can have calmness, tranquility, presence and resilience.

It’s easy to act on emotions, we do it without thinking. Have you ever felt triggered or tilted? But if we can change the quality of our thought life, and choose how we respond to the world around us, we have the ability to manage how we feel.

Between the stimulus and it’s natural effect, one has the time to prevent their reaction. It’s not easy. And that’s the point. It’s hard and it requires self-discipline, self-control and new perspective.

We don’t remember days. We remember moments.

I have very deep needs. I need to be loved, valued, understood and cared for. I sought to be affirmed and validated by others rather than by God and myself.

I thought I found everything I was looking for in someone else rather than in myself. The problem is looking for someone else to complete you will be detrimental when they are removed, because what then are you left with but brokenness and emptiness?

Part of finding contentment, gratitude and happiness is living in the moment. Be present.

What many of us are looking to find is a stronger sense of self within ourselves. We definitely need God’s help. It is through the practice and disciplines of prayer, meditation and mindfulness that one can cultivate virtues like wisdom moderation, kindness, self-control, and courage. Sometimes mindfulness isn’t always in the quiet stillness, but can also be in a physical activity.

Several health conditions are a result of not properly dealing with stress. I took a health and stress management class once. We did physical exercises, breathing techniques, visualization techniques, and different forms of meditation. Stress will always come in various forms, we must learn to have the armor and weapons to counter and defend against it. When whatever adversity comes our way, instead of becoming victim to it, we can rise to the challenge and know that we are prepared, and have trained to handle difficult situations.

Addictions, especially chemical dependence and substance abuse usually stem from trying to address a  from of trauma. Addictions are an illegitimate way of trying to meet a legitimate need. We live in a chaotic world of suffering, and I can see how people just want to drown out the pain. Instead of unhealthy ways to cope, we must focus on finding healthy ways to address our needs, find healing and obtain a calmness of mind.  

Anxiety and depression are some examples of how we allow outside influences to dictate our inner world. There is a certain amount of stress, worry, fear and hurt that is useful. But when it becomes excessive to the point of unhealthy dwelling, or overthinking, we are actually just inflicting ourselves.

Interestingly, some folks purposely put themselves in uncomfortable situations.. like wearing strange clothing, exposing themselves to extreme temperatures without shelter, having a lack of resources, and having the bare minimum food. The theory is to develop mental toughness, so that one can see that they can endure any circumstance. When you know what it’s like to have a little, you’ll appreciate abundance. In experiencing depravity and hardship, you may also develop less fear of it. Often our fears can be worst then the actual thing we’ve been afraid of. Even when one catastrophes the worst case scenario there are generally ways to adapt. 

It’s often in the lack of that we learn to appreciate all that we have. 

We don’t miss things until they’re not there. Perhaps we ought to express gratitude for the people, health, wealth and possessions we do have in our life. 

I sat next to a friend in class one day and I said,  “Yo.. what’s goin on man, how ya been?” He responded very profoundly, “Not good, I have things to complain about, but I’m not gonna.” I was taken back and stunned by his response. I knew he was going through difficulties. Yet this guy didn’t cry about it when I gave him the opportunity to. Instead it was a stance and perspective of, I’m doing everything that I can do, and I won’t let circumstances to get the best of me.  

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT), has many useful ways to change our thoughts. It comes down to re-framing and thinking about what we’re thinking. It’s seeing different perspectives and re-framing in a new way. If a negative thought pops into our head, we must ask first, is this thought true? And secondly, if it is true, then is it helpful? Whether we realize it or not, our thoughts affect our mood and behavior. If you can control your thought life, you can better control your emotions. 

Emotional intelligence is not just empathy towards the emotions of others, but also empathy towards yourself. It’s awareness and understanding of how to manage our emotions.

CBT also confronts one’s cognitive distortions and thinking errors. growing up we’ve made cognitive shortcuts to help us, but if we really analyze our thoughts, we’ll see that they are not always true, accurate and grounded in reality..

Changing how we think about others, ourselves and the events around us is not always an easy process.

But it's life changing.

It requires mental toughness to control and shift our patterns of thinking. If you can control your thought life, you have a much better chance at controlling your feelings. Our self-esteem really boils down to how we see ourselves, talk to ourselves and treat ourselves. 

If you think and believe yourself as caring, attractive, smart, kind, thoughtful, fun, energetic, amazing, awesome, incredible, and confident for example.. you will become more of those attributes. If you perceive yourself as valuable, you will then treat yourself with value.. whether other's deem you valuable or not does not matter.

If you think of yourself as unwanted, unloved, unworthy, unattractive, pathetic, stupid, ugly, and weak.. you'll feel like trash and treat yourself like so. This negative thinking and hopelessness is what gives birth to depression. 

Control your mind, and you'll control your heart.

We can become so polarized and place people in a category in our mind. We're so used to seeing people in a certain light based on all sorts of opinions. Perhaps the key to interacting with all people equally, is to remain neutral and withhold our personal judgments. If you can control your feelings, you can then interact with anyone with non-attachment. 

I realized that sometimes I lack patience. No one likes waiting. I was simmering in anger. I had certain expectations and then things didn’t go as I had hoped or planned. I was close to snapping in bursts of anger. But instead, took a few minutes to confront my anger. It was not doing me any good.

Would you rather be angry for 5, 10, or 30 minutes? Most of us would say, well of course less. The longer we go on holding onto our anger, the more we realize that it accomplishes nothing but ruin our own mood and often hurts those around us. Not feeling good? Practice the art of letting go. Find healing. Grow stronger.

Part of the issue was that I had certain expectations. Instead we must realize that whatever happens, happens. We must accept that there are things outside of our control and sphere of influence. Reaction of intense emotions generally cannot change the external reality. Instead, it is an opportunity to control our inner reality. 

Bad stuff out of our control happens, it’s part of life. It would be wrong to expect everything to always be perfect. In some sense we should also expect hardship, difficult people and problems to arise. We will go through times of tremendous loss, pain and grief. It’s a hard fact of life.

In our worry and in our hurt, God is our highest source of finding peace and comfort. In time we can slowly begin to let go of the pain we hold onto. Over time, we can come to a place of restoration, peace and acceptance. 

The pessimist complains about the wind.
The optimist hopes that it'll change.
The realist adjusts his sails. 

There’s an Eastern practice and concept in Taoism that relates to stoicism and letting go. It’s called wu wei. It’s about “non-action,” “non-resistance,” “non-interference” and “non-judgement.” In short it’s “going with the flow” and not fighting against it. It’s going about life with ease, harmony and effortlessly and passively allowing life to take its natural course. It’s embracing change. Let go and let God. 

“Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin... But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” -Matthew 6:26-34

Stoic philosophy teaches how to overcome destructive emotions. It rewires our negative self-talk.. It stops negative thoughts in it’s tracks. There’s part of stoic philosophy that can be integrated with Christian thought and modern psychology today.  

I don’t agree with all of stoic philosophy. Christianity supersedes man’s wisdom.

Stoicism is about perspective. It doesn’t get pulled to either pleasure or pain. Rather, instead of attaching to either extreme, it detaches and exists somewhere in the in between and seeks to live in harmony.. When you are neutral and stoic, things have a lot less of an effect on you. It’s kind of like not really caring about things that would generally have an effect. Sure you’ll still experience the emotions, we’re human. But you’ll learn to release it quicker. 

It’s easy to feel disappointed when we get attached to certain expectations or future outcomes. When things don’t go the way we hoped, perhaps we had too much expectations. Sometimes we need to learn to be ok even if we don’t get exactly what we want. A stoic allows things to take it’s natural course. I don’t believe in coincidences, things happen for a reason. 

Stoicism teaches to not get pulled into the positive emotions as well. I can see why it forewarns to avoid the emotional highs. Because that often means we are subject to allowing the external to control the inside. To an extent, I agree and disagree with this. I would argue that as spiritual beings we are to discern what are the positive emotions that God wants us to feel. 

I’m kind of reminded of the movie ”Inside Out.” As a child the external will naturally impact our inner emotions. But as we grow older and wiser, we can learn the ability and willpower to better control what goes on inside of us. 

In this life, what really counts is our inner life. Yes take care of our physical health, but what matters is our depth and strength within. Our inner world translates to how we communicate, express and behave. We must transform and grow inwardly. God looks at our heart. 

One time Snowball was sitting in a sofa chair and I began to pet him. He scratched me with his sharp claws. I was like AHHHH OWWW!!  I was so mad and started yelling at him as he ran away.. 

then a few short minutes later he came back walking into my room as if nothing had happened, and he just went back to chillin on the chair as he was with his light blue eyes, while I was still upset looking at the bloody scratches on my arm. I was holding onto a grudge of anger. 

But then.. I noticed.. he had already gotten over it. He forgave me for yelling at him. He had already completely dismissed what happened less than five minutes ago. Snowball wasn’t dwelling on the past, or worrying about the future. He was simply content and enjoying the present. He just wanted to hangout with me again. 

When we screw up. God has already forgiven us. Don’t hold onto the waves of emotions, grudges, heartache, pain and frustrations. Be like Snowball and just let it go.

I thought wow. This cat knows how to let go and just continue on with his normal life, while I’m here soaking and allowing my frustrations to eat at me. The point is.. let go of the pain, forgive yourself, forgive others, and be a happy cat. 

I’ve been in stressful situations. it’s easy to get annoyed, frustrated or angry. We cannot always control what happens around us. We cannot control others. But we can control how we react or respond. Practicing stoicism can better help us control our thoughts + emotions.

There will constantly be stressors, problems and frustrations where it’s easy to lose our cool. There will be times of loss, disappointment, and pain. We can acknowledge these things, but stoicism comes from a place where nothing can get the best of us. Something bad happens? owell. No biggie. Life goes on. 

When you want to snap in anger, take a moment. God can instead fill us with patience and calmness. God can help us diffuse saying things we might regret. When your heart is hurt, God can help us let go and not allow things to heavily affect you. 

If u think of the phrase, sticks and stones will break my bones, but words will never hurt me. It underlines that others cannot hurt us unless we allow them to do so. 

A rock never feels hurt or insulted.

Whenever you feel a negative emotion, confront yourself. Usually you’ll be able to see that the negative emotion erupts because of a lack of virtue. Once you realize the negative emotion no longer serves any usefulness, I tell myself, okay I am choosing to let go of my anger and negative thoughts because they have no benefit and will just be wasting my head space and time. Instead, it is an opportunity to go directly to God and release whatever may be bothering you inside. But.. easier said then done.

The real virtue behind stoicism is really self-discipline.

With self-discipline you can achieve anything. 

Interestingly, stoicism and non-dualism doesn’t subscribe to being swept by the positive and high emotions as well. We cannot be captive by the highs, because then we are also prone to feel the lows. 

Women are generally welcomed to express their emotions. While boys are often given a lot less time and space to express any sort of pain, hurt and emotion. This can sometimes cause problems if emotions are always stuffed and bottled up. When a girl falls down and cries, we say oh are you alright dear? But when a boy falls down and cries, we say, stop crying and get up. Men should be able to acknowledge their hurt and allow themselves to be vulnerable. Stoicism also isn’t just for men. Regardless of gender, we should all manage our emotions in a healthy way.

There are certain emotions that we should express and freely feel. Jesus did not suppress his anger flippin tables. Jesus did not hold back his tears when someone died. This is where Christianity rubs against Stoicism. Christianity argues that spiritual emotions are essential to pleasing God. Clear God given emotions that are aligned with scripture and truth are good to experience. 

Some negative emotions are grief, fear, anger, guilt and shame. Might even want to add depression + anxiety as well. This is when we are operating from our lowest selves. These are the emotions we need to acknowledge, recognize and then to our best ability, let these go. And then move into a better state of neutrality and positive emotions. 

The Bible promotes and commands us to rejoice in praise. God wants the Christian to feel deep emotions of love, joy and peace, etc. However, it can be twisted. Some extreme Pentecostal Christians can take an over expression of emotionalism too far. And on the other hand, absence of emotions has it’s cons as well. 

John Piper coined the phrase, “God is most glorified, when we are most satisfied in Him.” The chief end of man is to glorify God. So one logically would pose the question, “How can I be most satisfied in God?” Just ask yourself.. “When am I most satisfied and have the most pleasure in God?”

I would suggest that we are most full and content in God when we receive from God. When you experience God’s love, grace and blessings we feel a strong intimate connection with our personal God. 

Ok, so the next premise to follow would be, “How do I receive from God?” This points us straight to the numerous spiritual disciplines. Prayer + Meditation on His Word are obvious ones. But there are several different ways to spend intentional time being relational with God. It’s about abiding in Him. We can do that anywhere, at any time. And when we are called to Christ, we are also called to fellowship with the church as well, the body of Christ. Spirituality was not meant to be done alone.

My strength is two fold. My strength first is in the Lord. True strength comes from our power in Him. And secondly, my strength is in being in control of myself, control of my inner thoughts and my feelings. If u have God in your life, and have control over your inner life, you have unstoppable strength to do great things.

A Man is someone who gets stuff done. He takes care of what is needed. He does not hide in fear. He does not crumble under pressure. Rather he presses into the challenges that need to get accomplished. A Man is not one who looks to his own interest, no, a real Man is someone who is there to protect, care and fight for those he loves. 

Stoicism is important because under tough situations, there is no time to panic and look for comfort from others. When there is something difficult, the Man problem solves, focuses on the goal, doesn’t give up and he doesn’t let anything defeat him. A Man perseveres even through the toughest of situations. 

There’s a scene where Batman is sacrificing himself to manually pilot a spaceship. There’s fire all around him, he’s sweating, and yet he’s got no time to freak out. All his energy is on focusing on completing his task, making good decisions and thriving to succeed. He doesn’t even let the most catastrophic scenario break his inner stoicism. 

A coworker once told me, “I can tell you’re being stoic.” I was like.. “What?” She was like, “I know there’s a lot going on, that you don’t show pain, and you’re good at not letting it affect you.” 

In another situation, there were multiple stressors one after another. I could not control the situation. I could sense pain, frustration, irritation, anger and feeling a bit impatient. You know when like every little small thing jus starts to bug ya? It’s easy to let emotions to get the best of us. Do what’s hard. Calm the storm within.

Within a few moments of practicing stoicism, I was able to intentionally let go of the pain, focus on the tasks ahead, and come back to neutral. Allowing myself to lose control of my emotions would not have made anything better. In fact, it often makes things worse.

When we snap in anger it’s cuz we’re struggling to control the emotion boiling within us. Instead I chose not to give negative feelings any foothold, attention or credit. I acknowledged it and intentionally got rid of it. Someone shortly after made the remark, “wow he’s so patient.” 

I've been feeling stressed out about some work things. I can feel the stress start to overwhelm and eat at me. I start worrying about all the things I need to do. So this is somewhat of a good test for me to dig deep + practice being stoic. No matter how stressful the situation, I won't let it get to me. I'm gonna take care of it one step at a time. And just like everything else, I'll get through it. 

Focus on what we can control and accept whatever we cannot.

If you can’t control it, why worry? 

If you can control it, why worry?

"God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."

Stoicism is more than just control of emotions. It subscribes to the this idea of logos, which they would define as logic or rational order... that everything is a web interconnected. Stoicism considers luck and chance, and that anything possible could happen at any moment. It is accepting that whatever could happen, can happen, and to be ok accepting it if or when it does happen. 

Stoic philosophers spent a lot of time thinking about death. It was seen as a possible escape and an inevitable part of life. They had some very morbid views regarding suicide as an escape.

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman Emperor is very fascinating to me. He scheduled his entire day. He was productive and purposeful. He trained himself in many skills and led his people through wars. At night he would spend time with his wife and son. He knew that although unlikely, the reality is that his family could possibly die in their sleep, and that every night could be the last time he gets to be with his family. Stoic philosophers knew that human life was finite. But in this thought, Marcus Aurelius made it a point to be very present with his loved ones. That’s something we can all take away. Be present with the ones you love.

What I admire about Marcus Aurelius is that he knew that it was more than just time management. He understood management of the self. Yes he took time to get rest, but he did not waste his time and life. He actively pursued what he considered of high importance. He devoted and committed himself to meditation, learning, reading, writing, training and focusing on what he considered valuable. He did all this while leading the Roman Empire.

In this life, we will be busy with work and developing our craft. But we should not forget what is of highest importance. Growing in knowledge of God, loving ourselves and spending both quantity + quality time with those we most love. To me that is true happiness. To live purposely with compassion and to surpass our potential.

The next time you feel annoyed, irritated, angry, anxious, stressed, depressed or any negative emotion, stop yourself, take a deep breath, think about the thought, Is it true? is it helpful? Is there another approach? what does scripture + God say about it? what may be an appropriate or better way of handling this thought + emotion? Release, surrender and let it go. You’ll be surprised of how much we internalize, and how many of our thoughts simply aren’t true or beneficial.

I realized the last two times I got angry, was because I was really just lacking the virtue of patience. I usually like to execute tasks without wasting time. I find that when I’m waiting on someone else, I cannot control the situation. I may have partial influence, but ultimately cannot control how efficient and reliable others are. 

In these challenging moments, I tell myself.. “Ok God, this is an opportunity for me to practice developing more patience + understanding.” Find situations where you force yourself to practice virtues.

Greek philosophers saw growing in virtues as developing happiness and having a flourishing life. Pursuing the highest good leads us to God, righteousness, living with high standards of morality and ethics.. and from these things sprout joy. 

Today I realized how I am growing into the abundant, whole, full, confident and strong Man that I have been continuing to pursue. When we trust in God and also practice self-love, we become whole and full. 

When you are strong you can get things done easier. I am always a work in progress. But there’s a certain strength and confidence that surges up within you when you realize your self-worth, and your infinite capabilities to do good. You are stronger than you think. 

When we have self-love we evolve and become a stronger, healthier and more energetic version of ourselves. We become full and whole. When you find fullness, contentment and wholeness, you are less in need and instead have more to give. Never stop pursuing your best self. Take small steps in the right direction.

Part of stoicism is detaching yourself from specific outcomes, desires and expectations. Sometimes you have to let go and let God. When we know and trust God is in control, we don’t need to worry about all the possible things that could happen.

Stoicism is more than just an attitude or controlling one’s emotions. It’s having better decision making skills and thriving under stressful situations. It also teaches to be grateful, to have empathy, to take care of our life, to practice mindfulness, to see negative situations as an opprotunity to cultivate virtue, to have patience, to value relationships, to be genuine, honest, truthful, and to accept and appreciate yourself. 

Grow in knowledge of God and in knowledge of yourself. If you dig deep within yourself you’ll find an incredible power. 

We are no longer slaves to sin, but slaves to righteousness. The old has gone, the new has come. As saints, we are told to put on our new selves. We are given the mind of Christ and the Holy Spirit. With God’s help we can embody virtues, we can have victory over temptation and sin. We can be transformed by the renewing of our mind. Within our new nature we are able to worship and glorify God by living for Him. 

Stoicism is about unlocking your full potential to be and become more. It’s owning yourself. It’s being detached from things outside of your control and being in control of the things that are within your control. 

Zen Buddahism is about ridding ourselves of desire. i can see the usefulness of meditation and not being attached to all the things we want. However, in Christianity it’s not about getting rid of our desires, it’s about conforming our desires to God’s desires. It’s about pursuing his values. It’s about attuning our heart to His. Have you ever tried to feel the way God feels? What would that be like? 

External locus of control are things outside of our mind. We cannot control things like the whether, traffic, or the mind + behavior of others. Internal locus of control is control over our own interpretations and reactions of the external. One’s true happiness and joy must come from within. Otherwise we become dependent on the external circumstances which are inconsistent. 

One thing that is outside of our control is the thoughts and opinions of others. Our culture seems to elevate social acceptance, approval, achievement, affluence, and appearance. We try so hard to be liked by others. Perhaps it’s seeking a deep need for validation. It’s looking to others to fill our needs. This is often putting our self-worth based on the opinion of others. I don’t think we should care as much as we do. We will not be liked by everyone. If someone does’nt like you, that’s ok. We are not defined by others, rather we define ourselves. No one determines who we are and our value, except God and ourselves. 

Whether good or bad, whether we have or have not, one can be ok and happy. It’s easy to think we need external things such as material wealth and comfort to be happy. Even without those we can still have self-worth, self-love, character, virtues, joy, peace and meaningful experiences. 

Stoicism goes way back to Ancient Greek philosophy. There are many great philosophers. Lucius Annaeus Seneca 4BC-65AD and Marcus Aurelius 121AD-180AD are known for being the two greatest stoic philosophers. Epictetus and Cato are also grouped as some other great philosophers. But most of my quotes below are from the former two.

“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”

“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious, privilege it is to be alive to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”

“Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed, and you haven’t been.”

“Look well into thyself, there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou will always look.”

“Do not indulge in dreams of having what you have not, but reckon up the chief of the blessings you do possess, and then thankfully remember how you would crave for them if they were not yours.”

“You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”

“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”

“Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself in your way of thinking.”

“A mans true delight is to do the things he was made for.”

“True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future, not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is sufficient, for he that is so, wants nothing.”

“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”

“From this instant on vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do now.”

“Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior, regardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.”

“Seek not the good in external things, seek it in yourself.”

“A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness.”

“We are more often frightened than hurt, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.”

“It never ceases to amaze me; we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their option than our own.”

“It’s time you realize that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.”

‘External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.”

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”

“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?.”

“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will, then your life will flow well.”

“I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.”

“What man actually needs is not a tension-less state, but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.”

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

“Putting things off is the biggest waste of life; it snatches away each day as it comes, and denies us the present by promising the future.. The whole future lies in uncertainty, live immediately.”

“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.”

“Begin at once to live and count each separate day as a separate life.”

“They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn.”

“If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.”

“Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions, not outside.”

“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man without trials.”

“Wealth consist not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place, but to be a different person.”

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”

“As is a tale, so is life; not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”

“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”

“it is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.”

“It is not that we have so little time, but that we lose so much. The life we receive is not short, but we make it so; we are not ill provided, but use what we have wastefully.”

“He who is brave is free.”

“No man was ever wise by chance.”

“Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”

“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”

“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”

“Ignorance is the cause of fear.”

“Life is like a play; it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.”

“If you live in harmony with nature you will never be poor; if you live according what others think, you will never be rich.”

“As long as you live, keep learning how to live.”

“Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.”

“Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”

“Life is long, if you know how to use it.”

“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.”

“To wish to be well is a part of becoming well.”

“While we wait for life, life passes.”

“It does not matter how many books you have, but how good the books are which you have.”

“Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual; for men learn while they teach.”

“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”

“Nothing is burdensome if taken lightly, and noting need arouse one’s irritation so long as one doesn’t make it bigger than it is by getting irritated.”

“True happiness is to understand our duties toward God and man; to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence on the future; not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears, but to rest satisfied with what we have, which is abundantly sufficient.”

“Whatever can happen at any time can happen today.”

“What is harder than rock? What is softer than water? Yet hard rocks are hollowed out by softer water?”

“The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.”

“Wild animals run from the dangers they actually see, and once they have escaped them worry no more. We however are tormented alike by what is past and what is to come. A number of our blessings do us harm, for memory brings back the agony of fear while foresight brings it on prematurely. No one confines his unhappiness to the present.”

“Let us say what we feel, and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.”

“It is a great thing to know the season for speech and the season for silence.”

“What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.”

“Nothing deters a good man from doing what is honorable.”

“Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with course and rough dress, saying to yourself the while; ‘Is this the condition that I feared?”

“For manliness gains much strength by being challenged.’

“It is not what you endure that matters, but how you endure it.”

“The mind is never right but when it is at peace with itself.”

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”

“Books are the training weights of the mind.”

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

“If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.”

“We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.”

“It is better to die of hunger having lived without grief and fear, than to live with a troubled spirit, amid, abundance.”

"It's ruinous for the soul to be anxious about the future and miserable in advance of misery, engulfed by anxiety that the things it desires might remain its own until the very end. For such a soul will never be at rest, longing for things to come it will lose the ability to enjoy present things."

“Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men’s desires, but by the removal of desire.”

“The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”

“Don’t hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome event in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.”

“For sheep don’t throw up the grass to show the shepherds how much they have eaten; but, inwardly digesting their food, they outwardly produce wool and milk.”

“No one is ever unhappy because of someone else.”

“Wherever there is a human being there is an opportunity for kindness.”

“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

“Seek not the good in external things, seek it in yourself.”

“If someone speaks badly of you, do not defend yourself against the accusations, but reply; You obviously don’t know about my other vices, otherwise you would have mentioned these as well.”

“There is no enjoying the possession of anything valuable unless one has someone to share it with.”

“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”

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