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

by Jonas Salzgeber

Stoics followed the example of their hero Socrates and met outside in the public, on this porch, where anyone could listen. So Stoic philosophy was for academic and ordinary people alike and therefore it was something like a “philosophy of the street.”

We can achieve such a mind free of other thoughts by performing “each action as if it were the last of your life.”

In modern times, we call this process focus—to focus on the process (under our control), instead of the desired outcome (not under our control). In archery, the desired outcome is to hit the target, but that’s not where the focus should lie because it’s beyond our control. It’s smarter to focus on the process that will optimally lead to the desired outcome. The Stoics realized that the process will affect the outcome. The process is about our behavior, deliberate practice, and all that prepares us to shoot well.

Success, then, is defined by our effort to do everything that’s within our power. Whether we hit the target or not, whether we win or lose, whether we drop some weight or not, ultimately does not matter. We succeed or fail already in the process. So the Stoic archer focuses on the process (preparing and shooting well); a possible positive outcome (hitting the target) won’t arouse jubilation, and a possible negative outcome (missing the target) won’t arouse despair. The Stoic archer succeeds in the process and is ready to take any outcome with equanimity and calm confidence, knowing they’ve tried their very best.

modern terms, this is a process goal. The Stoics did not focus on the future outcome (a happy life) but on the process in the present moment (living with areté) that should ultimately lead to the wished outcome. This focus on the process is what makes us, as aspiring Stoics, ultimately responsible for our own flourishing because we’re in control of that process. While the outcome can be prevented by external events, the process and our intentions are completed in the present moment and cannot be prevented by anything outside our control.

What happens to us is nature’s treatment to become better people. Those things happen for us, not against us, even if it doesn’t seem so.

“Freedom is not achieved by satisfying desire, but by eliminating it.”

By spending time on something, you give it importance.

Keep that in mind: Nothing but opinion is the cause of a troubled mind.

Whenever you come across a situation with people who seem to act wrongly, it’s an opportunity for growth. Because you can practice the virtues of self-control, forgiveness, kindness, and patience.

The goal when you enter a conversation is to understand what the other person wants to tell you. You listen with the intent to understand. That’s called empathic listening. And it’ll massively improve your relationships. Resist the urge to speak. Accept that something within you always wants to respond immediately. It wants to add something to the conversation. But often, that’s not necessary and even detrimental to the conversation.

"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one." – Marcus Aurelius