How To Be A Stoic

Stoicism is not about suppressing or hiding emotion—rather, it is about acknowledging our emotions, reflecting on what causes them, and redirecting them for our own good.

Stoicism is not about suppressing or hiding emotion—rather, it is about acknowledging our emotions, reflecting on what causes them, and redirecting them for our own good. It is also about keeping in mind what is and what is not under our control, focusing our efforts on the former and not wasting them on the latter.

Stoicism involves a dynamic combination of reflecting on theoretical precepts, reading inspirational texts, and engaging in meditation, mindfulness, and other spiritual exercises.

scientific principle of universal causality: everything has a cause, and everything in the universe unfolds according to natural processes.

that the Stoics turned out to be overly optimistic about how much control human beings have over their own thoughts.

These are often referred to as the three Stoic disciplines: desire, action, and assent.

The relationships among the three Stoic disciplines (desire, action, and assent), the three areas of inquiry (physics, ethics, and logic),

The discipline of desire (also referred to as Stoic acceptance) tells us what is and is not proper to want.

The discipline of action (known also as Stoic philanthropy, in the sense of concern for others) tells us how to behave in the world.

the discipline of assent (or Stoic mindfulness) tells us how to react to situations, in the sense of either giving our assent to our initial impressions of a situation or withdrawing it.

We must make the best of those things that are in our power, and take the rest as nature gives it.

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.

we have a strange tendency to worry about, and concentrate our energies on, precisely those things we cannot control.

focus our attention and efforts where we have the most power and then let the universe run as it will.

focus our attention and efforts where we have the most power and then let the universe run as it will. This will save us both a lot of energy and a lot of worry.

the Stoic archer has deliberately chosen to attempt to hit the mark, and he has done the best he can do within his power to accomplish the goal. But he is also ready to accept a possible negative outcome with equanimity, because the outcome was never entirely under his control.

the Stoic archer has deliberately chosen to attempt to hit the mark, and he has done the best he can do within his power to accomplish the goal. But he is also ready to accept a possible negative outcome with equanimity, because the outcome was never entirely under his control. Other variables entered into it—just as happens in pretty much anything we decide to do.

Your confidence lies not in the outcome, however, for that is outside of your control.

your confidence lies in knowing that you did whatever was in your power to do, because that, and only that, is under your control.

universe doesn’t bow to your wishes, it does what it does; your boss, your coworkers, the shareholders of your company, your customers, and a number of other factors are part of the universe, so why would you expect them to do your bidding?