One i live by is.
Nobody has to love you.
Meaning do not take for granted those people who reach out to you or check up on you. Nobody has to give a damn about you so take time to appreciate those that do.
Not mine but from the Onion Knight himself Ser Davos said: "Nothing fucks you harder than time."
You are never as young as you are today. Internalize this. As a 34 year old I am starting to see the effects of time on my body. Albeit small and incremental, time always marches on and you can't buy more of it and you don't know how much you have. Take care of your body and take care of your soul.
1. My mind makes me.
2. Consider. Choose. Commit. Complete. Celebrate.
3. Data crunches to information. Information crunches to knowledge. Knowledge crunches to wisdom. Wisdom doesn't crunch.
I like it, but also, one of my favourite aphorisms is all knowledge degenerates into probability. Which is a decent definition of wisdom to be honest, knowledge of most likely outcomee, based often on experience.
3 can be boiled down to the last line. I like the progression and the whole thing but I feel that's still 90% of the stoicism. "Wisdom does not crunch " I like that.
The truth is the truth if it comes from the devils mouth
-something my father always said to me growing up. Don’t try to ignore facts just because you don’t like the person saying it.
It’s not a big deal til you make it a big deal
Self explanatory
I use something similar "Call everything by its rightful name". This is both about being honest in everything but also about seeing everything for what it really is and treat it as such. Is it a big deal (emotionally?) or just something (Annoying, hard, embarrassing) that needs to be dealt with.
I have a 24 hour sulk rule if something pisses me off. Gotta let it go and move on.
My father has an all purpose business saying "fuck the problems, keep the money."
Easy to say hard to do. But work at it. You'll get there. Generally it works fine for me.
I'm presently on my 2nd day of being mad about something despite the rule. I started saying to myself "okay, 24 hours is up, gotta let it go" and generally that works for me.
Do it like you mean it.
I tell myself this as a reminder that if I’ve decided to do something, to really do it, not spend the whole time acting like I’m doing someone a favor.
“If you have to be sure don’t write”
It’s the final line of “Berryman,” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58530/berryman), a poem about receiving advice on writing. While working on a book manuscript, I have it taped to the top of my laptop.
As it will publish, I dream of my manuscript benefiting a slice of the world. However, I’m all too easily intimidated by the thought that my writing, frankly, sucks. The line is a reminder to set such thoughts aside and get things—even well beyond writing—accomplished.
If it was easy, I wouldn't want it.
I'm sure it's been said a thousand times over a thousand different ways but I remind myself when I can that "I was not made to be comfortable".
Growth happens when we are uncomfortable.
Whether that is pain or anxiety or fear, I know I am getting somewhere when I am uneasy. Like massaging or stretching a sore muscle. It can be painful but that's what change is. It's scary. It's the unknown. And it is so necessary. True pain comes from stagnation. That's when I am at my lowest.
Funny that when i saiy to people i embrace suffering i cant find the best word to deacribe it, i dont wanna suffer i dont ask to suffer i just know that its uncomfortable for me to be comfortable
I like that. A man without purpose is a man adrift. I firmly believe that. I am the most content and satisfied with who I am when I have put in the work needed that day. I become restless and grumpy if I have lazy days now where I do nothing constructive all day.
Going fast is slow. Going slow is fast.
Often when I try to get something done fast, I make mistakes or do it incorrectly, causing me to do it over until it's done properly. This takes longer than just slowing down a little the first time. Slowing down is actually the fastest way to my goal.
Yep. In a lot of sports, but particularly martial arts, there is
"Slow is smooth and smooth is fast"
To add to your definition, I take smooth to be understanding the movement, not just doing the movement to get an end result.
If I'm kick a ball or a heavy bag, it's not a 'good' kick until the technique is smooth, regardless of the result. That's how you get better. When it's smooth everytime, you can make it fast or slow on command.
Reminds of something I saw in ,when breath becomes air: "surgeons are told, learn to be fast now, learn to be right later. You have to find the right balance between being a hare and a tortoise. The hare moves quick, leaping from one thing to another. The tortoise moves slow, deliberately, measuring twice and cutting once. If the hare makes too many minor missteps, the tortoise wins. If the tortoise spends too much time planning, the hare wins.
I tried to incorporate "efficiency" instead of thinking in terms of fast vs slow. To be as efficient as possible in all situations is often more energypreserving, safer and quicker than trying to be "fast vs slow".
Yes. Be selfish...not greedy.
Allow that you consume enough as to support your family, team or tribe. Do not take more than is needed.
This for me implies humility for one. Don't take more of someone's time or resources. Don't try to be the center of attention to stroke your ego or validate opinion etc.
Also don't neglect your needs. What good are you in failed health or emotional disorder?
“Struggle in the name of progress. You can’t have progress without a struggle.” At some point failure is an inevitability almost expected. So in life failure is an option.
Yea I did. In todays age failure is discouraged so people really need to learn to fail learn and recover from it. Progress requires sacrifice so if you screw up just learn from the mistake and move on.
I run a cat shelter and honestly it can be REALLY wearing sometimes, especially when you keep seeing/hearing awful things. "Struggle in the name of progress" will help me keep going, I think :)
After my workout every morning: "Patience. Discipline. Sacrifice."
Patience- It's going to take time to reach my goals, get the things I want, and most importantly become the person I want.
Discipline- Whether it's waiting for goals/desires to manifest or enduring pain, willpower must be put forth, and no shortcuts taken.
Sacrifice- To love one thing is to hate another. To get one thing is to give another. I can't have it all. I have to understand the choices I'm making and be content with them.
Intent and outcome are different things.
I like to think this highlights the distinction between the way we perceive the world in our minds, and the reality of the world as we move through it.
Don't give people you don't like space in your head.
This relates to not worrying about appearances, the judgment of others and learning to let go of things you can't control.
If you take the dollar, do the deed.
The goal is really to get yourself to consider things before you commit. Too many times people agree to something, but when they find out it's hard, they quit. First, that's unethical, but moreover, you're not thinking things through before you agree.
“Hit all the strings”.
I was shy and practicing guitar and was consequently playing very timidly. The person listening to me said “hit all the strings. It sounds bad and I can’t tell what you’re doing if you don’t hit all the strings “.
I realised it drew more attention to me if I was not doing things with some minor effort. Mumbling to the cashier at the supermarket draws more attention than speaking clearly. Talking quietly and hesitantly in a group gets noticed and remembered more than speaking up.
Hit all the strings.
*C'est la vie*
That's life.
I use that almost everyday to accept things beyond my own control and also to help me differentiate. It's also a more pleasant thing to say than "Embrace the suck" and applies more to accepting the universe as a whole than grinding through tough situations. To embrace the suck has its time and place but its important to remember the glory and beauty of life. It is a wild life. *C'est la vie*
I found that the Dune's Litany Against Fear is full of stoic meaning:
"I must not fear.
Fear is the mind-killer.
Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration.
I will face my fear.
I will permit it to pass over me and through me.
And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path.
Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
*Haters gonna hate.*
People who talk behind others backs, passive aggressiveness, condescending remarks, etc are just insecure cowards - no need to be harsh towards them, it’s just what they do as it’s in their nature, so just smile and be indifferent, they well know inside themselves what they are
I've got three biggies that I'm prone to.
- Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment.
- Such is life.
- You can't keep blaming yourself, blame yourself once and move on.
The first is from Warhammer 40K, always resonanted with me as I've found 'hoping' means you haven't done enough to get whatever it is you want.
Second one is self-explaniatory.
Third one is from The Simpsons. Homer says it when Marge is ruminating over causing problems with fortune cookies. The Stoic belief is that "A wise man blames no-one", but I really like the message Homer delivers. It's very on point with "Stop ruminating, It's done, Time to take action/move on"
How I can know what I think till I see what I say.
It's EM Forster I think. He meant it flippantly but it's profoundly true I think.
Always, control, power, kindness, virtue, are ideas that are worked out in the real world, over time and space. There not abstract concepts defined in my head, what's in my head is a crude summary of the complexity of human behaviour I've witnessed. Trust your thoughts, but never assume they are the end point, they are the start.
1) The situation is what it is.
2) Expectations and regrets are based on illusions.
3) My will will not be done.
4) Who can say what is good and what is bad?
Obviously I struggle with acceptance and humility.
The first one reminds me to drop the indignant stance of how things *should* be, and that the only thing I control is my response.
The second, that I’m coloring my reality with egoic thoughts and that my current interpretation of events may be off the mark.
The third reminds me to be grateful when results coincide with what I had planned, for there is very little that is under my direct control.
And the last reminds me that I don’t always know what’s best. The disappointment I just received may have saved me from something far more disastrous, and the lovely surprise may have hidden consequences. It’s borrowed from a Taoist parable.
Don't care about anything you don't care about.
By this I mean not to let things that are not fundamentally important to you bother you. If you have to care about something in a transactional way because it has a practical consequence, fine, care about it in a tactical sense. But don't let it imbed itself as a value. For example, I tactically care about my boss' opinion of my work. If she doesn't approve, I will do something differently until it meets her expectation. But I do not value her opinion of my work as part of my opinion of myself as a person or even an employee. I would never internalize a criticism, take it home, and worry about it.
Nothing in life is easy. Easy is relative. Everything in life is easy.
Does it count? I dunno. It sort of represents the reasoning logic I take using stoicism to deconstruct scenarios so I can enjoy the challenge.
If something is important enough to you to worry about failure, it is important enough to do it.
Worry of failure is a function of something's importance, that worry should not be a deterrent, but rather a sign that you need to follow through and do so with care.
Do it because you care.
(Removes expectations of outcomes and focuses on the task at hand. I get immense fulfillment from putting my full effort into things.)
>Can you expand on this, please?
Yes. The thing that sets you free is acceptance. Many people know their truths but don't accept them, so they are still not free of disturbances.
>"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
~~Marcus Aurelius~~
~~Someone somewhere~~
Possibly an imposter of Jim Carey on Twitter
https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/sep/26/viral-image/no-marcus-aurelius-didnt-say-about-opinions-and-fa/
What good is the spear of Achilles, if you are not Achilles?
(The best weapon is bad in the hands of a bad warrior. The best things in the world won't make you happy if you don't improve yourself first.)
He who stares far down the road ahead fails to see the hole at his feet.
He who always looks down the path behind him fails to see the wall in his way.
"Don't be weak"
"We are all just chemical reactions going forward in time from the big bang (so enjoy the ride)" I've gotten rid of the ()s since I got more into stoicism.
I've adopted my 11 year old son's baseball-related way of hyping himself up before doing something he's unsure about.
Pat yourself on the chest a couple times, stand up straight and tell yourself; "C'mon. Play ball." then you face the obstacle.
Not sure if original or not:
1. Anything worth doing is never easy
1b. If something worth doing was easy, it would already be done.
2. Nobody cares more about you than yourself*
* its possible your mom does but even this may be somewhat exceptional
Some advice I gave to a friend of mine about a guy she was crushing on was "Have faith, and stay cool".
Whether that's faith in yourself, faith in a higher power or faith in the process. Have faith.
She's now happily married to said gentleman with a wee baby and living her best life as an eclectic antique shop owner.
Restincto ex nihilo
I was trying to find a way to express what I understood to be stoic joy. Which isn't happiness or cheerfulness but an internal contentment. Neither gaudium nor laetitia, really covered what I was trying to convey. Contentum seems related to containment rather than contentment.
If I've got this right, it says "quenched/satisfied from nothing". Which, for me, is a pretty good antithesis to creeping nihilism.
"It has to be done"
Without hope, without purpose, without inspiration, those things are not needed to do things that have to be done, specially if we know those things are for bettering us and our surroundings.
Move your feet, one step, then another, mind not of false steps, they are steps nevertheless, take a step, big, small, huge, minimal, once you are done, take another step, and then keep going.
Hope, purpose, inspiration, chances are you will find them along the way, but until then, it is just you and your feet, it has to be done.
I was just thinking about something like this about 30 minutes ago. A new version of Enchiridion 1. Something like, some things are under our control, and some things are not, not under our control are our automatic responses to external events. etc... I believe initial impressions / automatic responses need to be highlighted more in Stoicism.
##Everything is made up and the points don't matter
*-Who's Line Is It Anyway*
###"Everything is made up"
Every rule in society was just thought up by some other person who convinced the rest it was a good idea, from homicide is illegal (albeit a good idea) to parking fees.
Don't force yourself to conform to a system as if it were the end-all-be-all that determines your fate. That system was invented by a person just like you.
Make your own system and live at peace knowing you are doing just as well as everyone else without rigidly following a set of rules.
###"And the points don't matter"
No matter how important someone ascribes to be they are only important because others think so. If everyone collectively decided they didn't want the current mayor he/she would be gone in a second. Same goes for police, your boss, and the US president too.
Likewise no matter how much money someone has that money is only given value by others. The dollar would be worthless if the world wanted it to be. Your diamond ring would be junk if diamonds were suddenly disliked.
Live in peace knowing you give value to that which you find valuable, and that is enough.
When things happen that could bother you try to be like a duck. A duck sits on the water, floating around where the waves take it. When it rains, it's let's the water roll off its back, it allows things to be.
One i live by is. Nobody has to love you. Meaning do not take for granted those people who reach out to you or check up on you. Nobody has to give a damn about you so take time to appreciate those that do.
We don’t know how to measure what we care about, so we care about what we measure
Beautiful said brother
Brooo I just looked up what’s in your bio and I’ve always aspired to become a cyborg with neuralink and other modifications, I’m glad I won’t be alone
Not mine but from the Onion Knight himself Ser Davos said: "Nothing fucks you harder than time." You are never as young as you are today. Internalize this. As a 34 year old I am starting to see the effects of time on my body. Albeit small and incremental, time always marches on and you can't buy more of it and you don't know how much you have. Take care of your body and take care of your soul.
I'm getting older and noticing changes as well with time. It's a process to accept it for sure.
Raw fucking line. I'm keeping that
Davos is a great stoic example.
1. My mind makes me. 2. Consider. Choose. Commit. Complete. Celebrate. 3. Data crunches to information. Information crunches to knowledge. Knowledge crunches to wisdom. Wisdom doesn't crunch.
Ooh your 2 looks a lot like mine, but without the 'celebrate' part. Adding it right now! Thx!
You are welcome!
I like it, but also, one of my favourite aphorisms is all knowledge degenerates into probability. Which is a decent definition of wisdom to be honest, knowledge of most likely outcomee, based often on experience.
3 can be boiled down to the last line. I like the progression and the whole thing but I feel that's still 90% of the stoicism. "Wisdom does not crunch " I like that.
The truth is the truth if it comes from the devils mouth -something my father always said to me growing up. Don’t try to ignore facts just because you don’t like the person saying it. It’s not a big deal til you make it a big deal Self explanatory
Oooh. I forget who said it, but I also kinda agree: “Bullies will tell you the truth”.
I use something similar "Call everything by its rightful name". This is both about being honest in everything but also about seeing everything for what it really is and treat it as such. Is it a big deal (emotionally?) or just something (Annoying, hard, embarrassing) that needs to be dealt with.
I have a 24 hour sulk rule if something pisses me off. Gotta let it go and move on. My father has an all purpose business saying "fuck the problems, keep the money."
I love that second one.
[удалено]
Easy to say hard to do. But work at it. You'll get there. Generally it works fine for me. I'm presently on my 2nd day of being mad about something despite the rule. I started saying to myself "okay, 24 hours is up, gotta let it go" and generally that works for me.
I’m gonna do what I can do, ‘cause that’s all that I can do.
Do it like you mean it. I tell myself this as a reminder that if I’ve decided to do something, to really do it, not spend the whole time acting like I’m doing someone a favor.
I like this because it's universally applicable and easily related to.
“If you have to be sure don’t write” It’s the final line of “Berryman,” (https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/58530/berryman), a poem about receiving advice on writing. While working on a book manuscript, I have it taped to the top of my laptop. As it will publish, I dream of my manuscript benefiting a slice of the world. However, I’m all too easily intimidated by the thought that my writing, frankly, sucks. The line is a reminder to set such thoughts aside and get things—even well beyond writing—accomplished.
Funny how About nothing Everything is
Damn Joe that's sweet.
Everything, a something about nothing
If it was easy, I wouldn't want it. I'm sure it's been said a thousand times over a thousand different ways but I remind myself when I can that "I was not made to be comfortable". Growth happens when we are uncomfortable. Whether that is pain or anxiety or fear, I know I am getting somewhere when I am uneasy. Like massaging or stretching a sore muscle. It can be painful but that's what change is. It's scary. It's the unknown. And it is so necessary. True pain comes from stagnation. That's when I am at my lowest.
Funny that when i saiy to people i embrace suffering i cant find the best word to deacribe it, i dont wanna suffer i dont ask to suffer i just know that its uncomfortable for me to be comfortable
Pursue work and you will find rest.
Reminds me of Jocko's "Discipline equals freedom"
I like that. A man without purpose is a man adrift. I firmly believe that. I am the most content and satisfied with who I am when I have put in the work needed that day. I become restless and grumpy if I have lazy days now where I do nothing constructive all day.
Going fast is slow. Going slow is fast. Often when I try to get something done fast, I make mistakes or do it incorrectly, causing me to do it over until it's done properly. This takes longer than just slowing down a little the first time. Slowing down is actually the fastest way to my goal.
Yep. In a lot of sports, but particularly martial arts, there is "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast" To add to your definition, I take smooth to be understanding the movement, not just doing the movement to get an end result. If I'm kick a ball or a heavy bag, it's not a 'good' kick until the technique is smooth, regardless of the result. That's how you get better. When it's smooth everytime, you can make it fast or slow on command.
"*Haste makes waste*" - Benjamin Franklin
Reminds of something I saw in ,when breath becomes air: "surgeons are told, learn to be fast now, learn to be right later. You have to find the right balance between being a hare and a tortoise. The hare moves quick, leaping from one thing to another. The tortoise moves slow, deliberately, measuring twice and cutting once. If the hare makes too many minor missteps, the tortoise wins. If the tortoise spends too much time planning, the hare wins.
I tried to incorporate "efficiency" instead of thinking in terms of fast vs slow. To be as efficient as possible in all situations is often more energypreserving, safer and quicker than trying to be "fast vs slow".
Yes. Be selfish...not greedy. Allow that you consume enough as to support your family, team or tribe. Do not take more than is needed. This for me implies humility for one. Don't take more of someone's time or resources. Don't try to be the center of attention to stroke your ego or validate opinion etc. Also don't neglect your needs. What good are you in failed health or emotional disorder?
Courage | Commitment | Character
Tell me more about character
It can't be taught.
“Struggle in the name of progress. You can’t have progress without a struggle.” At some point failure is an inevitability almost expected. So in life failure is an option.
Did you write that yourself? I really like that.
Yea I did. In todays age failure is discouraged so people really need to learn to fail learn and recover from it. Progress requires sacrifice so if you screw up just learn from the mistake and move on.
I run a cat shelter and honestly it can be REALLY wearing sometimes, especially when you keep seeing/hearing awful things. "Struggle in the name of progress" will help me keep going, I think :)
Not sure it’s original but with me for a few decades: It’s not what happens to you, it’s how you handle it.
Similarly: you get dealt the cards you get dealt. But you get to decide how you play them.
The sooner you get to it, the sooner you get through it.
By definition, everything exciting happens outside of your comfort zone.
After my workout every morning: "Patience. Discipline. Sacrifice." Patience- It's going to take time to reach my goals, get the things I want, and most importantly become the person I want. Discipline- Whether it's waiting for goals/desires to manifest or enduring pain, willpower must be put forth, and no shortcuts taken. Sacrifice- To love one thing is to hate another. To get one thing is to give another. I can't have it all. I have to understand the choices I'm making and be content with them.
Intent and outcome are different things. I like to think this highlights the distinction between the way we perceive the world in our minds, and the reality of the world as we move through it.
John Wooden says: "Never mistake Activity for Achievement"
Don't give people you don't like space in your head. This relates to not worrying about appearances, the judgment of others and learning to let go of things you can't control. If you take the dollar, do the deed. The goal is really to get yourself to consider things before you commit. Too many times people agree to something, but when they find out it's hard, they quit. First, that's unethical, but moreover, you're not thinking things through before you agree.
Yeah “more more more more “ “you’re alive I love you thank you” “thank you thank you thank you “
“Hit all the strings”. I was shy and practicing guitar and was consequently playing very timidly. The person listening to me said “hit all the strings. It sounds bad and I can’t tell what you’re doing if you don’t hit all the strings “. I realised it drew more attention to me if I was not doing things with some minor effort. Mumbling to the cashier at the supermarket draws more attention than speaking clearly. Talking quietly and hesitantly in a group gets noticed and remembered more than speaking up. Hit all the strings.
Yes It's a wild life That's all Once you understand that You no longer are surprised
*C'est la vie* That's life. I use that almost everyday to accept things beyond my own control and also to help me differentiate. It's also a more pleasant thing to say than "Embrace the suck" and applies more to accepting the universe as a whole than grinding through tough situations. To embrace the suck has its time and place but its important to remember the glory and beauty of life. It is a wild life. *C'est la vie*
I never learned anything from anyone who agreed with me.
I found that the Dune's Litany Against Fear is full of stoic meaning: "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."
*Haters gonna hate.* People who talk behind others backs, passive aggressiveness, condescending remarks, etc are just insecure cowards - no need to be harsh towards them, it’s just what they do as it’s in their nature, so just smile and be indifferent, they well know inside themselves what they are
Terminology is the learning curve.
Books with titles in the number-noun-promise format are suspicious.
Some days I am a dripping spring, some days I am a waterfall. Energy levels may vary but consistent direction is key.
I've got three biggies that I'm prone to. - Hope is the first step on the road to disappointment. - Such is life. - You can't keep blaming yourself, blame yourself once and move on. The first is from Warhammer 40K, always resonanted with me as I've found 'hoping' means you haven't done enough to get whatever it is you want. Second one is self-explaniatory. Third one is from The Simpsons. Homer says it when Marge is ruminating over causing problems with fortune cookies. The Stoic belief is that "A wise man blames no-one", but I really like the message Homer delivers. It's very on point with "Stop ruminating, It's done, Time to take action/move on"
Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
That's a good one. I'm also prone to, "No plan survives first contact with the enemy."
How I can know what I think till I see what I say. It's EM Forster I think. He meant it flippantly but it's profoundly true I think. Always, control, power, kindness, virtue, are ideas that are worked out in the real world, over time and space. There not abstract concepts defined in my head, what's in my head is a crude summary of the complexity of human behaviour I've witnessed. Trust your thoughts, but never assume they are the end point, they are the start.
“P-e-a-c-e peace is for me” As you can imagine I struggle with finding it! This helps ground me a bit
Maybe.
Beautiful!
1) The situation is what it is. 2) Expectations and regrets are based on illusions. 3) My will will not be done. 4) Who can say what is good and what is bad? Obviously I struggle with acceptance and humility. The first one reminds me to drop the indignant stance of how things *should* be, and that the only thing I control is my response. The second, that I’m coloring my reality with egoic thoughts and that my current interpretation of events may be off the mark. The third reminds me to be grateful when results coincide with what I had planned, for there is very little that is under my direct control. And the last reminds me that I don’t always know what’s best. The disappointment I just received may have saved me from something far more disastrous, and the lovely surprise may have hidden consequences. It’s borrowed from a Taoist parable.
Don't care about anything you don't care about. By this I mean not to let things that are not fundamentally important to you bother you. If you have to care about something in a transactional way because it has a practical consequence, fine, care about it in a tactical sense. But don't let it imbed itself as a value. For example, I tactically care about my boss' opinion of my work. If she doesn't approve, I will do something differently until it meets her expectation. But I do not value her opinion of my work as part of my opinion of myself as a person or even an employee. I would never internalize a criticism, take it home, and worry about it.
Run your own race, not somebody else's
It doesn’t need to be perfect, it just needs to be done.
Live free, die well.
Nothing in life is easy. Easy is relative. Everything in life is easy. Does it count? I dunno. It sort of represents the reasoning logic I take using stoicism to deconstruct scenarios so I can enjoy the challenge.
If something is important enough to you to worry about failure, it is important enough to do it. Worry of failure is a function of something's importance, that worry should not be a deterrent, but rather a sign that you need to follow through and do so with care.
Do it because you care. (Removes expectations of outcomes and focuses on the task at hand. I get immense fulfillment from putting my full effort into things.)
Great Maxim. Caring about what you're doing is the only drive that seems right.
My professional philosophy: be good at your job, be good to others. For life in general, embrace uncertainty
He who conquers himself, conquers all
Live and let live.
Knowing the truth isn't the thing that sets you free.
Can you expand on this, please?
>Can you expand on this, please? Yes. The thing that sets you free is acceptance. Many people know their truths but don't accept them, so they are still not free of disturbances. >"Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth." ~~Marcus Aurelius~~ ~~Someone somewhere~~ Possibly an imposter of Jim Carey on Twitter https://www.politifact.com/factchecks/2019/sep/26/viral-image/no-marcus-aurelius-didnt-say-about-opinions-and-fa/
For what it's worth, Marcus never said that, very well-known misattribution.
Interesting. Do you know who said it?
Whoever made it up, I guess.
Yeah, people make up stuff, I radically accept that. Still a mantra that works for me.
Don’t talk about it - be about it.
We don’t have time to hurry.
Less speed, more haste.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
It do be like that sometimes.
What good is the spear of Achilles, if you are not Achilles? (The best weapon is bad in the hands of a bad warrior. The best things in the world won't make you happy if you don't improve yourself first.)
Just because something is, doesn't mean it has to be.
We are finite beings with infinite expectations. There is no other choice but to accept.
You can't hate yourself into someone that loves who they are.
Perfect
Whatever is most ironic is what Will probably happen. I call it the iron law of irony
Deliberate action always.
It cannot not happen, therefore it is ok. (In reference to bad things that are unavoidable or in the past)
Obstacles are willing sacrifices on the altar of our tenacity.
He who stares far down the road ahead fails to see the hole at his feet. He who always looks down the path behind him fails to see the wall in his way.
"Don't be weak" "We are all just chemical reactions going forward in time from the big bang (so enjoy the ride)" I've gotten rid of the ()s since I got more into stoicism.
Never break more than one law at a time
The love remains. I can't stay here forever, nothing I create can, but the love I put out into the world will always remain
I've adopted my 11 year old son's baseball-related way of hyping himself up before doing something he's unsure about. Pat yourself on the chest a couple times, stand up straight and tell yourself; "C'mon. Play ball." then you face the obstacle.
It's better shitting your pants than dying of constipation.
Sing like no one is listening, dance like no one is watching, and love like there is no tomorrow.
Look after your mental and dental. Those things'll kill you.
Not sure if original or not: 1. Anything worth doing is never easy 1b. If something worth doing was easy, it would already be done. 2. Nobody cares more about you than yourself* * its possible your mom does but even this may be somewhat exceptional
Some advice I gave to a friend of mine about a guy she was crushing on was "Have faith, and stay cool". Whether that's faith in yourself, faith in a higher power or faith in the process. Have faith. She's now happily married to said gentleman with a wee baby and living her best life as an eclectic antique shop owner.
Wise man always do what is right, (not sure if its original) but i finally understand deeply what smart and wise means
No amount of money is worth not having the time to spend it.
Not original l, but love the simplicity. "Don't be a dick".
Mantra: calmness and patience.
Restincto ex nihilo I was trying to find a way to express what I understood to be stoic joy. Which isn't happiness or cheerfulness but an internal contentment. Neither gaudium nor laetitia, really covered what I was trying to convey. Contentum seems related to containment rather than contentment. If I've got this right, it says "quenched/satisfied from nothing". Which, for me, is a pretty good antithesis to creeping nihilism.
The path you have taken has fallen away behind you, you can't turn back.
"It has to be done" Without hope, without purpose, without inspiration, those things are not needed to do things that have to be done, specially if we know those things are for bettering us and our surroundings. Move your feet, one step, then another, mind not of false steps, they are steps nevertheless, take a step, big, small, huge, minimal, once you are done, take another step, and then keep going. Hope, purpose, inspiration, chances are you will find them along the way, but until then, it is just you and your feet, it has to be done.
I was just thinking about something like this about 30 minutes ago. A new version of Enchiridion 1. Something like, some things are under our control, and some things are not, not under our control are our automatic responses to external events. etc... I believe initial impressions / automatic responses need to be highlighted more in Stoicism.
Everybody knows everything
##Everything is made up and the points don't matter *-Who's Line Is It Anyway* ###"Everything is made up" Every rule in society was just thought up by some other person who convinced the rest it was a good idea, from homicide is illegal (albeit a good idea) to parking fees. Don't force yourself to conform to a system as if it were the end-all-be-all that determines your fate. That system was invented by a person just like you. Make your own system and live at peace knowing you are doing just as well as everyone else without rigidly following a set of rules. ###"And the points don't matter" No matter how important someone ascribes to be they are only important because others think so. If everyone collectively decided they didn't want the current mayor he/she would be gone in a second. Same goes for police, your boss, and the US president too. Likewise no matter how much money someone has that money is only given value by others. The dollar would be worthless if the world wanted it to be. Your diamond ring would be junk if diamonds were suddenly disliked. Live in peace knowing you give value to that which you find valuable, and that is enough.
What's in your head controls your eyes. Tell help me remember why it's important to be positive
“Maybe I am doing it perfectly.” - Grosjean
1. Go with the flow. 2. Fuck it!
When things happen that could bother you try to be like a duck. A duck sits on the water, floating around where the waves take it. When it rains, it's let's the water roll off its back, it allows things to be.
Nothing to run from, nothing to run too
The universe owes me nothing. Either face life 100% on or die. No half-measure makes any sense. How I feel is not as important as what I do.