The Little Book of Stoicism: Timeless Wisdom to Gain Resilience, Confidence, and Calmness

by Jonas Salzgeber

the root cause of emotional suffering comes from worrying about things outside our control. This is why we should focus on the process; the process is fully under our control.

And if we define success as giving our best in the process, then we cannot fail, feel calmly confident, and can accept any outcome with equanimity.

Whenever you find yourself in a hole, remind yourself of Hercules who became strong only because of the challenges he faced.

Do your very best to succeed . . . . . . and simultaneously know and accept that the outcome is beyond your direct control.

Ultimately, it’s never the challenges that matter, but how you perceive them. “If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.” Marcus Aurelius says that your judgment makes