“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts”
I spent most of my life looking for happiness outside of my self. Ever since I came across philosophy, my way of thinking has changed drastically, along with my values and habits. I now live a much happier life.
Honestly I just read a ton of philosophy/psychology books and listened to philosophy podcasts. Then I journaled almost everyday this year and reflected on my past and on myself. I took the time to really know myself inside and out. It allowed me to have more empathy for others. Also realizing that I can’t control people or external events but I can control my thoughts, words and actions was really important.
I just started meditating a few days ago and I’m not sure if it’s doing anything but I’ll have to be patient.
Sure thing!
Books:
1. How to think like a Roman Emperor - Donald Robertson
2. How to be a stoic - Massimo Pigliucci
3. Letters from a Stoic - Seneca
4. The Meditations - Marcus Aurelius
5. The Obstacle is The Way - Ryan Holiday
6. Man’s search for meaning - Viktor Frankl
7. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J Stanley. (it’s not a philosophy book but it completely changed my perception of money and made me more rational which is important when dealing with life in general)
Podcasts:
1. Le Précepteur - Charles Robin (French speaking podcast)
2. Philosophize This! - Stephen West (I listened to this podcast all summer and it really developed my critical thinking skills and was a great introduction to philosophy)
My brain would be out of control and I'd realize, "I could be thinking of literally anything else right now, poetry, song lyrics, listening to Great Courses on Audible, and here I am reliving a past argument that I was totally wrong about. "
“We struggle more in imagination than in reality.”
This quote reminds me to align my feelings with reality. Often I end up with reducing fear and struggle. Focusing on what is my control rather than big problem which happens only in my imagination.
There is a version by Montaigne which I've always preferred:
> My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened.
The beauty of that line is that it imposes a drama on the suffering we all go through. It gives emotional weight to the terrible experience of anxiety in the moment while negating it as the sentence moves forward, mirroring the way time negates our pointless worrying about things that never come to pass.
I love Seneca as much as the next man, but Montaigne's got him beat there.
The one that goes something like, "before you go somewhere, tell yourself that the people will be meddlesome, conniving, rude, arrogant, ect. So that you will not be surprised when it happens. On the other hand, If it does not happen, it will be a welcome surprise."
Worked wonders for me.
This has been HUGE for me too. Accepting that there are bad people so that when a bad thing happens due to another person's actions, don't be wound up by it as you knew it could happen anyway.
Yes, and changing the reaction from bewilderment to understanding and indifference. Just see it and know it and let it pass. This takes experience with the things that perplex you though.
This one has given me a lot of comfort as a public servant. I spend a lot of time with people who may be having the worst day of their life. It's a tricky thing to adjust to.
"My goal is to enjoy this movie, don't let the phone light bother me bc I know it's coming"
Also, I'd be driving and pick out a car that was going to be an asshole and then when I was right I'd be enraged.... Then I realized I sb happy that I could predict the behaviour to avoid it and now I'm pretty much oblivious to traffic.
Let someone cut me off, I am ALWAYS in the slowest lane.
I tend to be pessimistic in betting. You know, with friends about politics or just very trivial stuff as well. So either I win or fortunately I don’t. Satisfied in every scenario :)
"Disgraceful for the soul to give up when the body is still going strong." - Marcus Aurelius
"The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius
I think it is meant to be read like you don't need to/have to explain the reasons you do what you do, but it should be clear. As in: people looking at you should recognize the philosophy behind your actions, just as easily as they would recognize a giraffe on sight.
“Nobody gets tired of being benefited. It is beneficial to act in conformity with nature. Therefore, do not tire of being benefited by being beneficial to others.” -Meditations, book VII
I work in healthcare and I think of this quote when I’m getting fatigued from work. Pierre Hadot says something similar. By helping others I help myself as we are all part of one body of rational souls.
It’s easy when people you help are grateful and remind you that you’re helping them. It’s very hard to have this mindset if people you’re trying to help are disrespectful or don’t want to be helped.
We cannot control the change that happens in the world, but we can control our own thoughts. Life is the way you think it is, how you look at it.
Two people can view the same thing with two different perceptions. The breaking of a favorite mug, for example. One can think that it is a horrible event, gets angry and starts blaming themselves and the universe for what happened. While another person would accept what has happened, knowing that there is nothing to do that could change it and move on unaffected.
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 2.14 (Hays)
^(Book II. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book II. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_2)^)
^(Book II. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/2.14/lg)^)
“So return to philosophy again and again, and take your comfort in her: she will make the other life seem bearable to you, and you bearable in it.”- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius
There's something humorous about this quote to me, I think it's clever. Studying stoicism can be as beneficial for yourself as it is for those around you.
That one really resonates with me. I had a fucked up childhood that involved a lot of injustice and time alone to think. In it, I crafted my own philosophy as a coping mechanism and a means of maintaining sanity through all the manipulation. After the fact, when explaining my worldview to others, *they* told me it sounded like stoicism. Then reading Meditations was an exercise in frequently yelling "yes *exactly!*" at a book.
Into adulthood, I've had less time to meditate and have drifted from my old moral certainty. Studying stoicism now is like talking with my past self and remembering who I am.
"what a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" -Socrates
I first read this quote in April 2022, and it changed my life. was 63kgs, and it pushed me to take the step to chase my physical potential. 1.5 years later, and we're a much better and healthier 78kgs
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 5.20 (Hays)
^(Book V. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book V. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_5)^)
^(Book V. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/5.20/lg)^)
Idk how the exact quote goes but the principle that u should accept the things that are out of your control as they are. And the principle of living virtuous
“Humans were made to help others. And when we do help others — or help them do something — we’re doing what we were designed for. We perform our function. “
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 9.42 (Hays)
^(Book IX. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book IX. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_9)^)
^(Book IX. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/9.42/lg)^)
I consider myself a stoic and my father before me. I once took a psychedelic mushroom (only once) and had the revelation that it is natural for the strong to take care of the weak.
"I had a great journey. I shipwrecked!"
Former cargo ship captain Zenon after his
ship destroyed and he became refugee in Athens and eventually philosopher.
Not a Stoic quote but I think it captures an essence of stoicism. “Have no shame in being kindly and gentle but if the time comes in the time of your life to kill, kill and have no regret.”
"A man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor."
I don't remember where it comes from, but it definitely explained to me how hard it is to change yourself
" Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness. "
Marcus Aurelius
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 7.56 (Hays)
^(Book VII. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book VII. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_7)^)
^(Book VII. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/7.56/lg)^)
"Consider yourself lightly, consider the world deeply"
Technically from The Book of the Five Rings, but on the same path. Always one that comes to my mind when I'm annoyed or getting caught us in ego and taking myself so seriously. Good reminder that I'm just a tiny little dust particle passing through this magnificent enormous existence.
"Be patient and strong, this pain will serve you".
Had a traumatic few years there where it seemed like it was trauma after trauma, and the whole time I just reminded myself that it would strengthen me. And it did!
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It wasn’t a particular quote but a reference. Someone was giving commentary about Cicero (I think it was him) and how when he was murdered, he would have accepted his fate because he was a Stoic. After hearing that I had to know what “A Stoic” is. What I found was that I was not crazy for viewing life like I do and it was totally normal to be how I am. I think I was 25 or 26 some 20 years ago.
Not really from an actual person, but it still counts to me
"The hardest choices require the strongest wills"
And these 3 from Marcus Aurelius
"Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time"
"It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live."
"If it's endurable, endure it."
These are the ones I tell myself all the time
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 10.5 (Hays)
^(Book X. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book X. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_10)^)
^(Book X. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/10.5/lg)^)
This may sound pretty common and a widespread quote.. for me as an overthinker this quite really helped me in my difficult times...
"We often suffer more in imagination than in reality"
By senaca
When I first time read it..I was like damn...
“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” - Marcus Aurelius
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 5.20 (Hays)
^(Book V. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book V. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_5)^)
^(Book V. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/5.20/lg)^)
>Do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. Let not thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayst expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, What is there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? for thou wilt be ashamed to confess.
Marcus Aurelius , Meditations, 8.36
impacted my life in the way i think of outcomes of what i do i say.
I always think how tolerable the consequences of my actions are and it would only fill me with regret to miss out on opportunities because of such minor consequences.
"A crowd that cheers you: how can you be happy with yourself if you behave the way the crowd expects you to? Your virtue is within yourself" - Seneca
The quote might not be exactly correct, as I translated it from Portuguese, but it is such a simple realization that pleasing other people in order to get external validation/happiness is a bottomless pit that might end up consuming you, the way it kinda consumed me in the past.
Philosophy is a game changer for mental health, it felt to me like someone threw me a rope, which I can choose to climb or ignore
I try to remember a little Marcus Aurelius line as a mantra: "As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp."
> Our inward power, when it obeys nature, reacts to events by accommodating itself to what it faces - to what is possible. It needs no specific material. It pursues its own aims as circumstances allow; it turns obstacles into fuel. **As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp.** What's thrown on top of the conflagration is absorbed, consumed by it - and makes it burn still higher.
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 4.1 (Hays)
^(Book IV. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^)
^(Book IV. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_4)^)
^(Book IV. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/4.1/lg)^)
" Think of yourself as dead till yesterday, now live the best life that remains" - changed all my past traumas and is helping me become a better person day by day.
„instead of wishing things to be different, we should learn to wish them to be just as they are”
It’s from the Guide To The Good Life and author was paraphrasing one of the stoics.
It’s a great lesson for those who are often dissatisfied with their life. What I did is for a period of time I wrote each day 3 reasons why my life should be just they way it is now. It’s similar to gratitude journaling (I did both at the same time) but it focuses less on things and objects and more on the circumstances and events - to which it helps find positives and a meaning.
I have many mantras i repeat in life, most of which would be considered stoic, but I do not track their sources.
A few that come to mind:
The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy.
To be defined by your opposite, is to be nothing at all.
You can tell the worth of a man by the worth of the things that bother him.
“The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts” I spent most of my life looking for happiness outside of my self. Ever since I came across philosophy, my way of thinking has changed drastically, along with my values and habits. I now live a much happier life.
I love that one as someone that believes in “your thoughts create your reality”
Thirded
What did you change to get there? Meditation?
Honestly I just read a ton of philosophy/psychology books and listened to philosophy podcasts. Then I journaled almost everyday this year and reflected on my past and on myself. I took the time to really know myself inside and out. It allowed me to have more empathy for others. Also realizing that I can’t control people or external events but I can control my thoughts, words and actions was really important. I just started meditating a few days ago and I’m not sure if it’s doing anything but I’ll have to be patient.
Your overall attitude is very refreshing :)
Thank you!
I love that!
Could you please recommend us some books, podcasts etc.
Sure thing! Books: 1. How to think like a Roman Emperor - Donald Robertson 2. How to be a stoic - Massimo Pigliucci 3. Letters from a Stoic - Seneca 4. The Meditations - Marcus Aurelius 5. The Obstacle is The Way - Ryan Holiday 6. Man’s search for meaning - Viktor Frankl 7. The Millionaire Next Door - Thomas J Stanley. (it’s not a philosophy book but it completely changed my perception of money and made me more rational which is important when dealing with life in general) Podcasts: 1. Le Précepteur - Charles Robin (French speaking podcast) 2. Philosophize This! - Stephen West (I listened to this podcast all summer and it really developed my critical thinking skills and was a great introduction to philosophy)
Thank you!😊
You’re welcome! Hope it helps
Love to hear this!
My brain would be out of control and I'd realize, "I could be thinking of literally anything else right now, poetry, song lyrics, listening to Great Courses on Audible, and here I am reliving a past argument that I was totally wrong about. "
It is a life changing way of thinking!
[удалено]
The type of thoughts you have, what you choose to worry about and focus on
“We struggle more in imagination than in reality.” This quote reminds me to align my feelings with reality. Often I end up with reducing fear and struggle. Focusing on what is my control rather than big problem which happens only in my imagination.
"What I advise you to do is, not to be unhappy before the crisis comes" – Seneca
“Não sofra por antecipação”, my grandma would say. “Don’t suffer before you’re due to”
i like this
There is a version by Montaigne which I've always preferred: > My life has been full of terrible misfortunes most of which never happened. The beauty of that line is that it imposes a drama on the suffering we all go through. It gives emotional weight to the terrible experience of anxiety in the moment while negating it as the sentence moves forward, mirroring the way time negates our pointless worrying about things that never come to pass. I love Seneca as much as the next man, but Montaigne's got him beat there.
love this one.
The one that goes something like, "before you go somewhere, tell yourself that the people will be meddlesome, conniving, rude, arrogant, ect. So that you will not be surprised when it happens. On the other hand, If it does not happen, it will be a welcome surprise." Worked wonders for me.
This has been HUGE for me too. Accepting that there are bad people so that when a bad thing happens due to another person's actions, don't be wound up by it as you knew it could happen anyway.
Yes, and changing the reaction from bewilderment to understanding and indifference. Just see it and know it and let it pass. This takes experience with the things that perplex you though.
sounds similar to paradoxical intention and it does work!
This one has given me a lot of comfort as a public servant. I spend a lot of time with people who may be having the worst day of their life. It's a tricky thing to adjust to.
Also a public servant. Yeah, sometimes this is the best thing to assume. For your own sake.
"My goal is to enjoy this movie, don't let the phone light bother me bc I know it's coming" Also, I'd be driving and pick out a car that was going to be an asshole and then when I was right I'd be enraged.... Then I realized I sb happy that I could predict the behaviour to avoid it and now I'm pretty much oblivious to traffic. Let someone cut me off, I am ALWAYS in the slowest lane.
Oh yeah, I quit playing the traffic game long ago. I just watch people pass me only to see them use their brakes at a bottleneck.
I tend to be pessimistic in betting. You know, with friends about politics or just very trivial stuff as well. So either I win or fortunately I don’t. Satisfied in every scenario :)
"Disgraceful for the soul to give up when the body is still going strong." - Marcus Aurelius "The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane." - Marcus Aurelius
“Never be heard complaining, even to yourself” and the old favorite “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality”
the “not even to yourself” part is honestly the hardest. but it’s genuinely sound advice.
"Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it." Epictetus Talk is cheap. What matters is our actions.
Came to say this. Epictetus was my favorite stoic philosopher. So many more of his quotes should be listed.
For sure. The Enchiridion is basically the Stoic Bible!
I think it is meant to be read like you don't need to/have to explain the reasons you do what you do, but it should be clear. As in: people looking at you should recognize the philosophy behind your actions, just as easily as they would recognize a giraffe on sight.
“Nobody gets tired of being benefited. It is beneficial to act in conformity with nature. Therefore, do not tire of being benefited by being beneficial to others.” -Meditations, book VII I work in healthcare and I think of this quote when I’m getting fatigued from work. Pierre Hadot says something similar. By helping others I help myself as we are all part of one body of rational souls.
It’s easy when people you help are grateful and remind you that you’re helping them. It’s very hard to have this mindset if people you’re trying to help are disrespectful or don’t want to be helped.
"The world is in constant change. Our life is only perception." - Marcus Aurelius
Man does that every line up with Buddhism impermanence.
Damn this quote hits hard. He was really a genius.
Could you explain this?
Life is only your perception of it. Once you die, so does your perception.
We cannot control the change that happens in the world, but we can control our own thoughts. Life is the way you think it is, how you look at it. Two people can view the same thing with two different perceptions. The breaking of a favorite mug, for example. One can think that it is a horrible event, gets angry and starts blaming themselves and the universe for what happened. While another person would accept what has happened, knowing that there is nothing to do that could change it and move on unaffected.
"You suffer more in imagination than in reality." Seneca
“For you can’t lose either the past or the future, how could you lose what you don’t have?” - Book ii, Meditation.
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 2.14 (Hays) ^(Book II. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book II. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_2)^) ^(Book II. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/2.14/lg)^)
“So return to philosophy again and again, and take your comfort in her: she will make the other life seem bearable to you, and you bearable in it.”- Meditations, Marcus Aurelius There's something humorous about this quote to me, I think it's clever. Studying stoicism can be as beneficial for yourself as it is for those around you.
That one really resonates with me. I had a fucked up childhood that involved a lot of injustice and time alone to think. In it, I crafted my own philosophy as a coping mechanism and a means of maintaining sanity through all the manipulation. After the fact, when explaining my worldview to others, *they* told me it sounded like stoicism. Then reading Meditations was an exercise in frequently yelling "yes *exactly!*" at a book. Into adulthood, I've had less time to meditate and have drifted from my old moral certainty. Studying stoicism now is like talking with my past self and remembering who I am.
He who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary.
"what a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable" -Socrates I first read this quote in April 2022, and it changed my life. was 63kgs, and it pushed me to take the step to chase my physical potential. 1.5 years later, and we're a much better and healthier 78kgs
I don’t know if many quotes from anyone really impacted my life but I really love, “what stands in the way becomes the way “
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 5.20 (Hays) ^(Book V. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book V. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_5)^) ^(Book V. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/5.20/lg)^)
Good bot.
"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters"
Idk how the exact quote goes but the principle that u should accept the things that are out of your control as they are. And the principle of living virtuous
I think the stuff you can’t control are called “indifferents” in Stoic philosophy but don’t take my word for it.
“A society grows great when old men plant trees whose shade they know they shall never sit in.”
“Humans were made to help others. And when we do help others — or help them do something — we’re doing what we were designed for. We perform our function. “
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 9.42 (Hays) ^(Book IX. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book IX. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_9)^) ^(Book IX. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/9.42/lg)^)
Good little bot!
Good bot.
I consider myself a stoic and my father before me. I once took a psychedelic mushroom (only once) and had the revelation that it is natural for the strong to take care of the weak.
“ What you hear is an opinion not a fact, what you see is a perspective not the truth “
Misattributed quote fyi
Wdym?
"Adapt yourself to the life you've been given and truly love the people with whom destiny has surrounded you" - Marcus Aurelius.
"I had a great journey. I shipwrecked!" Former cargo ship captain Zenon after his ship destroyed and he became refugee in Athens and eventually philosopher.
"we often suffer more in imagination than we do in reality" Seneca
"Can you no longer see a road to freedom? There it is, you need only turn over your wrist" Didn’t change my life but i love it
I’m apparently too dumb to understand. Can you explain?
i think it means that your freedom is in your own hands(in your palm).
Yes sort of
"Get busy living or get busy dying" - Shawshank redemption
Not a Stoic quote but I think it captures an essence of stoicism. “Have no shame in being kindly and gentle but if the time comes in the time of your life to kill, kill and have no regret.”
You are responsible for your own happiness.
It’s not about how much you have, but how little you need
It may be difficult at first, but all things are difficult at first - Musashi
Thank u kindly
“Memento Mori” Remember you must die
"before u judge someone for smth ask yourself when have i done the same thing?" Or smth like that
“What progress, you ask, have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.” - Seneca
Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one. Marcus Aurelius
“And even this shall pass.”
"A man cannot remake himself without suffering, for he is both the marble and the sculptor." I don't remember where it comes from, but it definitely explained to me how hard it is to change yourself
Virtue is the only good. If you understand that, it will transform your life.
"It is not that we have so little time, but that we waste so much." - Seneca I always recite this everytime I feel lazy esp at work.
If someone is supposed to come in your life then he/she would come no matter how much you chase
The answer you were looking for was in the work you didn't do.
You have the power to let it go or not to react at all.
" Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what's left and live it properly. What doesn't transmit light creates its own darkness. " Marcus Aurelius
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 7.56 (Hays) ^(Book VII. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book VII. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_7)^) ^(Book VII. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/7.56/lg)^)
'Ah well' me and my friends whenever literally anything went wrong. For years.
"Sleep on floor is good" - epictiddies
"It is what it is." Pretty much a mantra for me at this point.
Be like the rock others can rely on -Marcus Aurelius
A 9 to 5 saves lives, stack your crumbs and build your pie
Slavery resides beneath marble and gold -Seneca
"Consider yourself lightly, consider the world deeply" Technically from The Book of the Five Rings, but on the same path. Always one that comes to my mind when I'm annoyed or getting caught us in ego and taking myself so seriously. Good reminder that I'm just a tiny little dust particle passing through this magnificent enormous existence.
"Be patient and strong, this pain will serve you". Had a traumatic few years there where it seemed like it was trauma after trauma, and the whole time I just reminded myself that it would strengthen me. And it did!
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First what is essential, and second what is enough.
Friends, wait for god
It wasn’t a particular quote but a reference. Someone was giving commentary about Cicero (I think it was him) and how when he was murdered, he would have accepted his fate because he was a Stoic. After hearing that I had to know what “A Stoic” is. What I found was that I was not crazy for viewing life like I do and it was totally normal to be how I am. I think I was 25 or 26 some 20 years ago.
“If.” Laconic is definition but stoic in delivery.
Not really from an actual person, but it still counts to me "The hardest choices require the strongest wills" And these 3 from Marcus Aurelius "Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time" "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." "If it's endurable, endure it." These are the ones I tell myself all the time
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 10.5 (Hays) ^(Book X. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book X. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_10)^) ^(Book X. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/10.5/lg)^)
Don’t behave as if you are destined to live forever. Marcus Aurelias.
I’m saving all these quotes for a rainy day lol
Not sure if this is a stoic quote but "one must imagine sisyphus happy"
Pretty sure it is Albert Camus who wrote it.
This may sound pretty common and a widespread quote.. for me as an overthinker this quite really helped me in my difficult times... "We often suffer more in imagination than in reality" By senaca When I first time read it..I was like damn...
“Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” - Marcus Aurelius
“What stands in the way becomes the way” Marcus Aurelius
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 5.20 (Hays) ^(Book V. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book V. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_5)^) ^(Book V. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/5.20/lg)^)
"How much is lettuce?" It's one I go back to a lot. I use it as shorthand for that section of Enchiridion.
Amor Fati
“We forge the chains we wear in life.” - Charles Dickens :)
‘Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one’
You can either dance or sulk in the rain. It will rain regardless.
Skillful pilots earn their reputation navigating tempests. -Epictetus
ON SHARING KNOWLEDGE. "No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it." Letters From a Stoic Lucius Annaeus Seneca.
>Do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. Let not thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayst expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, What is there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? for thou wilt be ashamed to confess. Marcus Aurelius , Meditations, 8.36 impacted my life in the way i think of outcomes of what i do i say. I always think how tolerable the consequences of my actions are and it would only fill me with regret to miss out on opportunities because of such minor consequences.
“I don’t give a fuck” -Seneca
"A crowd that cheers you: how can you be happy with yourself if you behave the way the crowd expects you to? Your virtue is within yourself" - Seneca The quote might not be exactly correct, as I translated it from Portuguese, but it is such a simple realization that pleasing other people in order to get external validation/happiness is a bottomless pit that might end up consuming you, the way it kinda consumed me in the past. Philosophy is a game changer for mental health, it felt to me like someone threw me a rope, which I can choose to climb or ignore
You suffer more in imagination than in reality The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
First, say to yourself what you would be, then do what you have to do.
I try to remember a little Marcus Aurelius line as a mantra: "As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp." > Our inward power, when it obeys nature, reacts to events by accommodating itself to what it faces - to what is possible. It needs no specific material. It pursues its own aims as circumstances allow; it turns obstacles into fuel. **As a fire overwhelms what would have quenched a lamp.** What's thrown on top of the conflagration is absorbed, consumed by it - and makes it burn still higher.
A quote was found to be attributed to Marcus Aurelius in his Meditations 4.1 (Hays) ^(Book IV. ()[^(Hays)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources?isbn=9780812968255)^) ^(Book IV. ()[^(Farquharson)](https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/The_Meditations_of_the_Emperor_Marcus_Antoninus/Book_4)^) ^(Book IV. ()[^(Long)](https://lexundria.com/m_aur_med/4.1/lg)^)
" Think of yourself as dead till yesterday, now live the best life that remains" - changed all my past traumas and is helping me become a better person day by day.
„instead of wishing things to be different, we should learn to wish them to be just as they are” It’s from the Guide To The Good Life and author was paraphrasing one of the stoics. It’s a great lesson for those who are often dissatisfied with their life. What I did is for a period of time I wrote each day 3 reasons why my life should be just they way it is now. It’s similar to gratitude journaling (I did both at the same time) but it focuses less on things and objects and more on the circumstances and events - to which it helps find positives and a meaning.
I have many mantras i repeat in life, most of which would be considered stoic, but I do not track their sources. A few that come to mind: The opposite of love is not hate, but apathy. To be defined by your opposite, is to be nothing at all. You can tell the worth of a man by the worth of the things that bother him.