“Attention (prosochê) is the fundamental Stoic spiritual attitude,” explains author Pierre Hadot. “It is a continuous vigilance and presence of mind, self-consciousness which never sleeps, and a constant tension of the spirit. Thanks to this attitude, the philosopher is fully aware of what he does at each instant, and he wills his actions fully.” Even if this consciousness which never sleeps is the Stoic’s goal, Epictetus said that it’s not possible to be faultless, but we can try and “we must be content if by never remitting this attention we shall escape at least a few errors.”
