That every person’s mind is a god and is an emanation of the divine.Ħ. That the relationship between any one person and the rest of the human race is particularly close, not in the sense that they share blood and seed, but because they have intelligence in common.ĥ. That everything that happens has always happened and will always happen, and is happening right now all over the world.Ĥ. That the wrong being done to you is someone else’s concern.ģ. That everything happens in compliance with universal nature.Ģ. When you find something hard to bear, there are things you’re forgetting.ġ. We can see this in action in Book 12 of Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations where the Stoic emperor gives himself eight reminders for when he faces difficulty in life: One way to do this is to keep your own notes while you study so that they can be easily referenced in the future.įor example, you may find Stoic advice from various sources that all relates to one specific situation and wish to summarize it all in one handy place, ready to be called upon when that situation arises. It’s what Pierre Hadot was referring to in his book Philosophy as a Way of Life when he stressed the importance of always having our fundamental principles “at hand.” We need to have the tenets of our philosophy of life ingrained in us so that enacting them becomes second nature when the mental fog of disturbance or crisis strikes. It’s only through repetition and regular reminders that we can be sure we’ll have the awareness to recall Stoic principles when they’re most needed.

In his Discourses, Epictetus tells us that the practice of Stoicism is nothing more complicated than good preparation for what lies ahead:īut what is philosophy? Doesn’t it simply mean preparing ourselves for what may come? Epictetus, Discourses 3.10.6īy taking on the Wisdom of the ancients, by learning it and putting it into practice, we’re strengthening our defenses against the storms that Fate will inevitably send our way.

Marcus aurelius stoicism