The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual

by Ward Farnsworth

the stories and problems of humanity don’t change, but just put on new masks. The same can be said for the remedies.

Epicurus regarded pleasure as the only rational motive for mankind, whereas the Stoics thought that our sole rightful purpose is to act virtuously – to live by reason and to help others, from which happiness follows assuredly but incidentally. Despite these differences, however, the Epicurean and the Stoic agree on some important points in their analysis of judgment, desire, and other subjects.

The usual Stoic goal is to enjoy or react or do most else in the world with moderation and a sense of detachment. (Chapter 6.) The detachment doesn’t mean a lack of attention or interest. It is better considered an aspect of moderation – moderation, that is, in our relationships to external things.

The happy are those who think they are, not those who are thought to be so by others; and in this way alone, belief makes itself real and true. Montaigne,

A favorite Stoic method for the purpose involves viewing a subject in the most literal way possible, or breaking it down into parts that dissolve the formidable appearance it might have, whether of desirability or the reverse.

Time. We measure time by how much of it we have. A normal lifespan seems a long increment because it is the most that anyone knows of firsthand.

It is a shame, then, that ignorance and the desire to impress should be stronger than wisdom. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 5.18

that which you regard as the top is merely a rung on the ladder.

Stoics regard wisdom and understanding as producing a kind of joy that is immune from interruption by circumstance.

we should not, like sheep, follow the lead of the flock in front of us – heading not where we ought to go, but where it goes. Seneca, On the Happy Life 1.2–3

Who is not aware that nothing thought to be good or bad looks the same to the sage as it does to everyone else? He pays no mind to what others consider shameful or wretched; he does not walk with the crowd; just as the planets make their way against the whirl of heaven, he proceeds contrary to the opinion of the world. Seneca, On the Constancy of the Wise Man 14.3–4

If you set a high value on liberty, you must set a low value on everything else. Seneca, Epistles 104.34

Stoicism is a shortcut to the frame of mind created naturally by the passage of time.

Reason will have accomplished enough if it removes from grief only what is both excessive and superfluous; that reason should not allow grief to exist at all is neither to be hoped nor desired. Rather let reason establish a measure that will copy neither indifference nor madness, and will keep us in the state that is the mark of an affectionate, and not an unbalanced, mind. Let your tears flow, but let them also cease; let deepest sighs be drawn from your breast, but let those, too, come to an end; so rule your mind that you can win approval both from wise men and from brothers. Seneca, Consolation to Polybius 18.5–6

the Stoic goal is to avoid even the feeling of “oh, no” wherever possible on these occasions, and to replace it with sentiments closer to “now what?” or “let’s see what can be done with this.” The work of life is to turn whatever happens to constructive ends.

the wise man will not indulge in pity, because there cannot be pity without mental suffering. All else that those who feel pity are inclined do, he will do gladly and with an elevated spirit; he will bring relief to another’s tears, but will not add his own. To the shipwrecked man he will give a hand; he will give shelter to the exile, and charity to those in need.

The two things must be combined and taken by turns: solitude and the multitude. The former will leave us with a longing for the society of others, the latter for our own, and one will be the remedy for the other. Solitude will cure our aversion to the crowd; the crowd, the boredom of solitude. Seneca, On Tranquility of Mind 17.3

When considering whatever one loves or hates – when considering any reaction to anything – it is instructive to ask how much of it is owed to the number of times one has encountered the subject, whether it be many or few.