The Stoic Goal of Life

The Stoics divided the day into three stages: The Stoic morning meditation, Mindfulness throughout the day, and Stoic evening reflection

By deeply reflecting on our values each day and attempting to describe them concisely, we can develop a clearer sense of direction.

• The Stoics were concerned that their speech should not only be honest and simple but also appropriate to the needs of the hearer.
• Correcting someone else's vices requires considerable tact; it is like pointing out that they have bad breath.
• Stoics wanted to

• The main antidote to anger for Marcus is the Stoic virtue of kindness.
• If someone hates you, that's their problem. Your only concern is to avoid doing anything to deserve being hated.
• Nothing lasts forever. If events will see...

• He was the last famous Stoic of the ancient world
• He was known for his physical frailty, due to chronic health problems, but also for his exceptional resilience
• He repeatedly told himself that the goal of his life is not pleasure but action
• ...

• The Stoics wanted to develop a healthy sense of gratitude in life, unspoiled by attachment.
• They practiced calmly imagining change and loss, like a river gently flowing past, carrying things away.
• Don't fight what happens but try to accept and even embrace it.

When doing what feels pleasurable becomes more important than doing what's actually good for us or our loved ones... that's a recipe for disaster.

Evaluate your habits and desires in terms of the bigger picture: how much do these pursuits actually contribute to your lon...

Premeditation of adversity can be useful in confronting anger and other negative emotions, but its techniques are particularly suited to treat fear and anxiety.

Fear is essentially a future-focused emotion, so it’s natural that we should counter it by addressing our thought...

Pain is just a sensation, in other words; what matters is how we choose to respond to it.

Tell yourself that the pain won’t last long if it’s severe or that you’re capable of enduring much worse if the pain is chronic.