"Charitably put, I thought [the Handbook of Epictetus] irrelevant. Nevertheless, I read and remembered almost all of it - if for no other reason than that it was given to me by a man I respected as a human being, a scholar, and a teacher." - James Stockdale, Thoughts of a Philosophical Fighter Pilot
The teachings of Epictetus ended up helping Stockdale find the inner fortitude to survive 7 years in a prison camp where he experienced physical and psychological torture with his spirit unbroken.
"Be magnanimous: with a lofty mind, be above feeling injured by trivial things. Look down on them as being unworthy of your attention." - Seneca
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler"When someone acts badly towards you, or speaks badly of you, remember that he is acting or speaking in that way because he regards that as being the proper thing for him to do. Now, it isn't possible for him to act in accordance with what seems right to you, but with only what seems right to him. So if he judges wrongly, he is the one who suffers the harm, since he is the one who has been deceived ... If you start out, then, from this way of thinking, you'll be gentle with someone who abuses you, for in each case you'll say, 'That is how it seemed to him.'" - Epictetus, Handbook
The Stoics believed that someone who perfectly put their beliefs into practice would be a Stoic Sage. For them, this wan't something that necessarily could be achieved, but could be strived towards. The Sage was a kind of hypothetical role model they would want to emulate. To me, anyone who can perfectly put into practice the sentiment Epictetus expresses above is not merely a Sage, but a saint.
It is such a beautiful, kind sentiment: to be able to forgive wrongdoing and not take offense. But it is something that I, at least, do not find always easy to implement. But wanting to feel that way, intending to feel that way - remembering that and reminding myself - is the first step.
Another step, or, really, habit of thought to practice is not to convince yourself you've been harmed in the first place.
From The Inner Citadel: The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Pierre Hadot
Could we not say that if this book is still so attractive to us, it is because when we read it we get the impression of encountering, not the Stoic system, although Marcus constantly refers to it, but a man of good will, who does not hesitate to criticize and examine himself, who constantly takes up again the task of exhorting and persuading himself, and of finding the words which will help him to live, and to live well?
...
In world literature one finds lots of preachers, lesson-givers, and censors, who moralize to others with complacency, irony, cynicism, or bitterness; but it is extremely rare to find a person training himself to live and to think like a human being.
Hadot puts it perfectly. It is precisely because Aurelius was speaking to no one but himself that his exhortations and effort to be a better and kinder person are so powerful, impressive, touching, and inspiring; and still so resonant today.
"Ultimately, philosophy is about thinking for oneself, and making choices, and seeking to live according to them, with the aim of achieving something good." A.C. Grayling, Thinking of Answers: Questions in the Philosophy of Everyday Life
The only way to really injure a Stoic would be to damage his virtue, goodness, or character.
To illustrate persistence, Seneca uses the example of someone at the Olympic games who wears out an opponent through sheer patience. (The Latin word patientia means "endurance.") Similarly, in terms of mental endurance, the wise person, through long training, acquires the patience to wear out, or simply ignore, any attack on his character.
"There are people who do not live their present life; it is as if they were preparing themselves, with all their zeal, to live some other life, but not this one. And while they do this, time goes by and is lost. We cannot put life back in play, as if we were casting another roll of the dice." - Antiphon, Sophist thinker, c. 450 BCE
Via the back cover of What is Ancient Philosophy? by Pierre Hadot
"Well then, if it is necessary for both [women and men] to be proficient in the virtue which is appropriate to a human being, that is, for both to be able to have understanding, and self-control, and courage, and justice, the one no less than the other, shall we not teach them both alike the art by which a human being becomes good?" - Musonius Rufus, "Should daughters receive the same education as sons?"
Via That One Should Disdain Hardships: The Teachings of a Roman Stoic edited/translated by Cora Lutz
We often see variations of "it was a different time" to excuse or soften past injustices; but almost always there is someone in that era that already knew then that it was wrong. Rufus was born nearly 2000 years ago and already saw a gender equality of moral worth; while he also held a sexist belief that there were skills/jobs that were inherently better suited for men or women, he did note that "all human tasks ... are a common obligation ... and none is appointed for either one exclusively."
You need to avoid certain things in your train of thought: everything random, everything irrelevant. And certainly everything self-important or malicious. You need to get used to winnowing your thoughts, so that if anyone says, "What are you thinking about?" you can respond at once (and truthfully) that you are thinking this or thinking that. And it would be obvious at once from your answer that your thoughts were straightforward and considerate ones - the thoughts of an unselfish person, one unconcerned with pleasure and with sensual indulgence generally, with squabbling, with slander and envy, or anything you'd be ashamed to be caught thinking.
"While his lifetime was incomplete, his life itself was perfect. Another man might seem to live for eighty years but only be around for eighty years - unless by 'live' you mean that way in which trees are said to live. I beg you, Lucilius: Let's carry on in this way, so our lives are measured like the most precious objects - not by their size, but by their worth. Let's measure our lives by their performance, not by their duration." - Seneca, Letters 93.4
Seneca wrote this letter in response to the death of a friend (Metronax) who died young, but had lived admirably.
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler
"[T]he existence of a time that is uniform, independent of things and of their movement that today seems so natural to us is not an ancient intuition that is natural to humanity itself. It's an idea of [Isaac] Newton's." - Carlo Rovelli, The Order of Time
"I am aiming to live each day as if it is a complete lifetime." - Seneca, Letters 48.2-3
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler
Have been reading Carlo Rovelli's thoroughly enjoyable The Order of Time and early in the book Rovelli was able to achieve, in my estimation, an impressive feat: his description of the relativity of time and explanation of how the notion of a "Now" across the universe is non-sensical triggered me having an experience of awe and wonder, for a brief moment, that I would call borderline euphoric. I also believe this is the first time that I've truly experienced/appreciated the Stoic "View from Above." The last time I felt something similar would have been when I read Postcards from Mars back in 2006.
And, so, I'm writing this post simply to capture, now, my sense of gratitude for the experience. Thank you, Mr. Rovelli!
"That kindness is invincible, provided it's sincere - not ironic or an act." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Friendship creates between us a partnership in all things. Nothing is good or bad for us alone: we live in common. Nor can anyone live happily who only cares for his own advantage. You must live for another if you would live for yourself. This fellowship, maintained with special care and respect, unites humanity as a whole, and holds that we all have certain rights in common." - Seneca, Letters 48.2-3
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler
"When you start to lose your temper, remember: There's nothing manly about rage. It's courtesy and kindness that defines a human being: and a man. That's who possesses strength and nerves and guts, not the angry whiners. To react like that brings you closer to impassivity - and so to strength. Pain is the opposite of strength, and so is anger. Both are things we suffer from, and yield to." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
"Stoic ethics is a species of eudaimonism. Its central, organizing concern is about what we ought to do or be to live well - to flourish." - Lawrence Becker, A New Stoicism
"Don't search outside yourselves for what is good; seek it within, or you will never find it." - Epictetus
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler"Extreme anger will not increase justice or make the world a better place; it will only make the world more miserable, and more out of control. Anger, in the Stoic view, can only increase human suffering." - David Fideler, Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living
"Forgive others, and even all of humanity, because you are not perfect either: the faults we find in others also exist within ourselves." - Seneca
Via Breakfast with Seneca: A Stoic Guide to the Art of Living by David Fideler"Stoicism is a philosophy that focuses on teaching us how to excel, how to become better human beings, and how to live a good life." - Donald Robertson, Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: Practical wisdom for everyday life
"For no one will cause you harm if you don't wish it; you'll have been harmed only when you suppose that you've been harmed." - Epictetus, Handbook
I am particularly moved by the transcendence of shared human experience across the ages while reading this knowing that the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius tried to deal with the troubles he encountered daily by reading the same teachings and putting them into his own words and reminding himself in his journal to put them into practice.
"Remember that what insults you isn't the person who abuses you or hits you, but your judgement that such people are insulting you. So whenever anyone irritates you, recognize that it is your opinion that has irritated you. Try above all, then, not to allow yourself to be carried away by the impression; for if you delay things and gain time to think, you'll find it easier to gain control of yourself." - Epictetus, Handbook
"With regard to everything that happens to you, remember to look inside yourself and see what capacity you have to enable you to deal with it." - Epictetus, Handbook
"So what would you wish to be doing when death overtakes you? For my part I'd like to be carrying out some deed worthy of a human being, something beneficent, something that serves the common good, something noble. But if I can't be caught doing anything as fine as that, I should at least like to be doing something that I can't be hindered from doing, something that is granted to me to accomplish, namely, putting myself right, striving to perfect the faculty that deals with impressions, and labouring to achieve peace of mind, while yet fulfilling my social duties, and if I should be so fortunate, pressing on the third area of study, the one that is concerned with the attainment of security in one's judgements." - Epictetus, Discourses 4.10
