This compilation of 365 daily lessons on Stoic philosophy
is designed to be started at any point in the year.
The teachings of Stoic philosophy began and thrived in the
Greek and Roman world until the 3rd century AD, and has since experienced
multiple revivals right up to the modern day.
With wise lessons in key philosophical subjects, from
Acceptance and Change to Virtue and Cooperation with Nature, there is much that
we can learn from the writings of the Stoics. And in this book, readers can
explore 365 expertly chosen extracts—one for each day of the year—from
Stoicism’s most notable names: Seneca, Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus.
Using translations of their original writings and
meditations, 365 Lessons from the Stoics provides access to
the Stoics’ ancient wisdom in bite-sized chunks. Each quote is matched to a
guiding theme, allowing readers to realize the power of the Stoic’s words in
relation to self-improvement, learning and understanding in their life.
Including an Introduction to the Stoics and Stoicism,
readers will gain insight into the lives and era of the Stoics, before delving
into the wise words that continue to rise in popularity, proving all the more
relevant in today’s increasingly complex world.
Each themed, daily entry delivers a reflection or
mini-lecture, enabling the reader to either mentally prepare for the day ahead
or contemplate the day as it draws to a close.
ACCEPT AND COOPERATE WITH NATURE:
“…tell yourself: the people I deal with today will be
meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like
this because they can't tell good from evil. But I have seen the beauty of
good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a
nature related to my own – not of the same blood and birth, but the same mind,
and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one
can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him.
We were born to work together like feet, hands and eyes, like the two rows of
teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at
someone, to turn your back on him: these are unnatural.”