Quote of the day

 "In the Republic, Plato argued that there is no prospect of psychic health without a kind of justice in the soul, and that we cannot be unjust to others if we're just within ourselves." - Kieran Setiya, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

Quote of the day

 "Remember Phil Connors [from the film Groundhog Day], trapped in a temporal loop. What liberates him is only in part his orientation to the process; it's also his selflessness, his love and respect for others. Is there a lesson there for us?"- Kieran Setiya, Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way

Quote of the day

"From Alexander the Platonist: that we should not often or without due necessity either say to anyone or write in a letter, 'I am too busy,' nor in this way should we constantly try to evade the obligations imposed on us by our social relationships by pleading the excuse of urgent business." - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

This advice from nearly two thousand years ago has certainly held up well and is as relevant as ever.

Quote of the day

 "[I]n many traditions mental preparation has been a core intellectual exercise. For instance, the great Confucian philosopher of the Song Dynasty, Zhu Xi, wrote that 'if you want to read books, you must first settle the mind to make it like still water or a clear mirror.'" - Julian Baggini, How to Think like a Philosopher: Twelve Key Principles for More Humane, Balanced, and Rational Thinking

Quote of the day

 "Let it be impossible for anyone to say of you truthfully that you are not sincere, that you are not a good man; rather let him be a liar who supposes any such thing of you. And this is wholly within your power: for what can prevent you from being good and sincere?" - Marcus Aurelius, Meditations

Quote of the day

 "It is as though we are so attached to how things seem superficially that we are unable to see how they really are, even when it only takes careful attending to reveal the truth." - Julian Baggini, How to Think like a Philosopher: Twelve Key Principles for More Humane, Balanced, and Rational Thinking

Quote of the day

 "We seek to emulate the best without any illusion that we can equal them, just with the more realistic hope that we can become the best versions of ourselves." -  Julian Baggini, How to Think like a Philosopher: Twelve Key Principles for More Humane, Balanced, and Rational Thinking

Quote of the day

 "The entirety of hell is contained in one word: solitude." - Victor Hugo

Via Life is Hard: How Philosophy Can Help Us Find Our Way by Kieran Setiya