Caison Britt’s Reviews > The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living > Status Update

“I may wish to be free from torture, but if the time comes for me to endure it, I’ll wish to bear it courageously with bravery and honor… The point is not to wish for these adversities, but for the virtue that makes adversities bearable.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 67.4

“The cause of my irritation is not in this person but in me.” —Anthony de Mello

“On tough days we might say, ‘My work is overwhelming,’ or ‘My boss is really frustrating.’ If only we could understand that this is impossible. Someone can’t frustrate you, work can’t overwhelm you—these are external objects, and they have no access to your mind.” —Holiday

You might look beautiful today, but if that was the result of vain obsession in the mirror this morning, the Stoics would ask, are you actually beautiful? A body built from hard work is admirable. A body built to impress gym rats is not. That’s what the Stoics urge us to consider. Not how things appear, but what effort, activity, and choices they are a result of. —Holiday

“Hold sacred your capacity for understanding. For in it is all, that our ruling principle won’t allow anything to enter that is either inconsistent with nature or with the constitution of a logical creature. It’s what demands due diligence, care for others, and obedience to God.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 3.9

“Yesterday’s the past, tomorrow’s the future, but today is a gift. That’s why it’s called the present.” —Bil Keane

As Epictetus put it, “It is impossible for a person to begin to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

“Whenever you find yourself blaming providence, turn it around in your mind and you will see that what has happened is in keeping with reason.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.17.1

As Seneca put it, “Slavery resides under marble and gold.”