Why Statues Matter
18 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nobody cared more about statues than the Greeks and the Romans. In fact, the only reason we know wha...
Don’t Take Control, Take Charge
17 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her page-a-day book Meditations for Women Who Do Too Much, the writer Anne Willson Schaef makes a...
You Must Surrender
16 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One way to read The Odyssey is that it’s a story of human perseverance. Odysseus is cunning and de...
Avoid Special Treatment Like The Plague
13 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
During the American Revolution—as in any war—the British quite rightly targeted the estates and ...
The Real Terrible Thing
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Epictetus could not have summed up Stoicism better than when he said: “It’s not things that upse...
It’s Okay To Want, But Not To Need
11 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This was a big argument amongst the early Stoics: What was necessary for the good life? What was act...
A Test of Your Worth
10 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Here’s a question to ask yourself about your work and your life: Do you create value for society o...
Treat People As You Would Be Treated
09 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It must be said that the Stoics were cowardly when it came to slavery. Marcus Aurelius, who believed...
We Admire The Struggle
06 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It was not lost even on the Stoics that some parts of this philosophy come more naturally to some pe...
If You Need A Friend…
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In her beautiful book about the Los Angeles Public Library fire, Susan Orlean captures the magic of ...
Fulfilling Your Destiny Will Not Be Easy
04 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s pretty incredible to think that Hadrian was able to see the potential in Marcus Aurelius. Had...
The Most Powerful (and Underrated) Force in The World
03 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius, on nearly a dozen occasions in Meditations, speaks of reaching or achieving “stil...
What is Required of You
02 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Marcus Aurelius was an incredibly lucky man. He was born a Roman and he was born a man in a time whe...
Heaven Beside You…Hell Within
30 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s late summer now and you might be thinking it’s time to squeeze in a last minute vacation. O...
Where is The Courage?
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
These are times of increasing political extremism. They are also times of corruption and rising ineq...
It’s Easy To be Sad
28 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his new book, Comedy Sex God (as well as on his wonderful podcast and on his HBO show) the comedi...
Forgiveness Isn’t Easy, But It’s Essential
27 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The great C.S Lewis observed that we all find forgiveness to be a lovely idea...right up until we ha...
Don’t Forget To Go Home
26 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The busier we get, the more we work, even the more that we learn and read, the further we tend to dr...
It’s About What You Do (And Don’t Do)
23 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
“If it is not right, do not do it,” Marcus Aurelius wrote, “if it is not true, do not say it.”...
Look With Both Eyes
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One way to look at an iconic or important landmark like the White House is with reverence. This is t...
But What If We’re Wrong?
21 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In several of Seneca’s letters he speaks about the power of bloodletting as a medical practice. In...
What Kind of Ambition To Have
20 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There are different kinds of ambition. There was, on one end of the spectrum, the ambition of someon...
Be Aware, But Not Troubled
19 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a balance to Stoicism between awareness and anxiety. The Stoics want you to be prepared for...
This Is The Secret To Wealth
16 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
What is wealth? It’s having plenty, right? The variables in the equation are pretty simple. What y...
Be Obsessed With Living
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a morbid theme running through the music of Johnny Cash. His deep, haunting voice is rarely...
If You Were Tried, Would You Be Convicted?
14 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One of the undeniable realities of the history of religion is persecution. The Christians have been ...
What Will You Do Next?
13 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics believed that stressful and dangerous situations unfold like this: Something happens—w...
You Don't Need Credit
12 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Perhaps you remember reading The Odyssey in high school or college (or possibly you picked up Emily ...
We All Must Go Into The Wilderness
09 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca was exiled once in AD 41 and then again from Nero’s service at the end of his career. Epict...
Be A Generalist
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you look at any of the great Stoics, you’ll notice that philosophy was just one of their many d...
How Not To Be Angry
07 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
One gets the sense that Seneca, like many smart and active people, was often frustrated by other peo...
What Do You Gain By Worrying?
05 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When did Jesus deliver his famous Sermon on the Mount? We don’t know. But we know that Seneca and ...
Winning The Ultimate Victory
02 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a tradition in Stoicism that few notice, but is possibly one of the most inspiring and chil...
Try The Opposite Remedy
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his essay Of Clemency, Seneca tells a story of a time Augustus, the first emperor of the Roman Em...
Be Careful About Who You Want To Impress
31 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When you listen to people talk about choices they regret, whether it was working for the guy who put...
We’re Lucky Not To Get What We Want
30 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s an old joke: When the Gods wish to punish us, they give us everything we’ve ever wanted....
What To Take From All This
29 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Very few people, if they’re being honest, would want their kids to grow up to be like Donald Trump...
Spare Time Is Not Enough Pt II
26 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The great Athenian statesman Pericles once explained to his people that being a great naval power wa...
Good or Evil...The Choice Is Yours
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Nobel Prize-winning author John Steinbeck thought the tug between good and evil was a necessary ...
There’s No Excuse For Being Surprised
24 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fabius was one of Ancient Rome’s great generals, though he was not the bold, reckless type that us...
Haven’t You Done That Before?
23 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It is certainly true that people can do some awful things to each other. We hear of a trusted repres...
What Do You Look Like Angry?
22 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Getting angry is not a good look. We know this because we see how ugly other people look when they g...
You’re Not That Important
19 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A few weeks ago, a horse at The Preakness threw its jockey right out of the gate and kept running. L...
This Is Universal
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Traveling—that itch to get away, to hit the road, to see the world—feels like a distinctly moder...
Are You Self-Aware?
17 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Evan Thomas, in his incisive and humanizing biography of Richard Nixon, asks a penetrating question:...
Nothing Wrong With Nice Stuff
16 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca was a very rich man. He had nice stuff. Critics at the time, and ever since, have found this ...
These Things Have No Power Over You
15 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
So much has happened in the past. We’ve messed up. We’ve been hurt. We’ve missed opportunities...
Does Greatness Require Ego?
12 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
While we all hold up humility as an admirable trait, we’re not always sure it can get us to the go...
We Must Increase What We Have Been Given
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In the Book of Matthew, we are told of the parable of the talents. Three servants are left sums of m...
Assume Everyone Is Lying
10 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
You’ve probably caught yourself doing it. Life has been rough or depressing, but your social media...
Pity The Ego
09 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Stoics were not unacquainted with awful people. They saw tyrants. They saw cheats. They saw toxi...
Just A Few Seconds Of Courage
08 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 2006, Benjamin Mee bought a zoo. Literally a zoo. It was broken down and in desperate need of a c...
Are You Ready To Be Challenged?
05 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s very easy to get comfortable. To build up your life exactly how you want it to be. Minimize i...
Freedom Isn't Free
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The fact that America exists is the ultimate argument that Stoicism is not apathy and that philosoph...
Do Less
03 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Unlike so many of the other philosophical schools, the Stoics were doers. The Epicureans might have ...
Who The True Stoics Were
02 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If you were to run down the list of the great Stoics of history, who would come to mind?Seneca. Marc...
Real Power Can’t Be Taken Away
01 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Twice, Seneca was exiled. Twice, he basically lost everything. Money. Access. Influence. It all went...
You Have To Take Care of Yourself
28 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
King George IV was a notorious glutton. His breakfast supposedly consisted of two pigeons, three ste...
Justice Doesn't Have To Be Angry
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When we hear about an athlete who was doubted and kicked around, or an entrepreneur who ends up buyi...
What Do You Live By?
26 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
William Alexander Percy, the uncle of the great writer Walker Percy, and one of the last Southern St...
Never Attribute To Malice…
25 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
People do a lot of things that feel mean. That frustrate us. That cause problems for us. That make t...
Break Out and Break Free
24 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We live in the freest time in the freest places in the history of the world. Yet many of us feel far...
It’s About The Paring Down
21 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Really what the Stoics were trying to do is pare down what they had to worry about. That’s why Epi...
Practice These Virtues
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Virtue is one of those words that contains multitudes. If you think about it, being virtuous is not ...
You Must Think It
19 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In Richard III and in Othello, Shakespeare has two different characters utter the same line. Both Ia...
Do You Want To Be Less Angry?
18 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The best way to make sure you are always offended and upset is to be on the lookout for things to be...
Tell The Truth, Even If They Hate You For It
17 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a certain archetype that is as old as literature and history themselves. One of the first t...
It’s OK To Struggle
14 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nietzsche’s classic line was “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” It’s a nice sentime...
It Doesn’t Matter What You Do, It Matters How You Do It
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The occupations of the three most well-known Stoics could not be more different. Seneca was a playwr...
Never Abandon Your Ideals
12 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Anne Frank would have celebrated her 90th birthday today. Although her life was cut tragically short...
Why It’s Important To Be Healthy
11 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It wouldn’t seem like eating well would be an important part of the philosopher’s job, but indee...
How To Think About Obstacles
10 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We can think of hardship many ways: As failure. As unfairness. As the end of the conversation. Clear...
When You Need Help...
07 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Maybe you’re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Maybe things...
What The Simple Life Is
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Seneca wasn’t fond of philosophers you could recognize. Not by their fame, but by their uniform. I...
The Earth Is Big And Has Room For Everyone
05 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is a line in the Odyssey (most recently translated by Seneca’s wonderful biographer, Emily W...
Good Stuff Comes Out Of Bad Circumstances
04 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
If Marcus Aurelius had his choice, he probably never would have been emperor. If he could have chose...
An Easy Source of Encouragement
03 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Why did Marcus Aurelius write his Meditations? It wasn’t for an audience. It wasn’t simply to pr...
Stop Wasting Time on Trivialities
31 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his twenty-third letter to Lucilius, Seneca opens with some meta snark that is relatable to anyon...
The Best Technology Ever Invented
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There have been all sorts of wonderful technological innovations since Marcus Aurelius’s time, par...
It’s OK To Cry
29 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We know that Marcus Aurelius cried when he was told that his favorite tutor passed away. We know tha...
What Do You Have To Draw On?
28 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For most of us, things are pretty good right now. The economy is booming. Our jobs or our personal l...
Things Don’t Make The Man
27 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s very easy to associate our possessions and our positions with our identity. There’s even an...
It’s Not As Unfortunate As It Seems
24 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Things we didn’t want to happen happen to all of us. A business deal falls through. A grade comes ...
The Road To Ladies and Gentlemen Again
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Two years ago, the world lost a great scholar and Stoic philosopher, Peter Lawler. Peter, a longtime...
You’ll Be Happier If You’re Realistic
22 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
We tell ourselves that if we just get paid more or get promoted, we’ll stop being so miserable at ...
Eat And Be Merry
21 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A few years ago a study by Brad Bushman at Ohio State University found a link between low blood suga...
Make It Happen. Whatever It Takes.
20 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On this day in 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. Her solo...
Don’t Let Yourself Be Rushed
17 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Robert Caro is getting old and people are getting worried. He’s now 83 and each day that passes ma...
Find The Space
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Think about the last time that someone made you upset. What did they say? What did they do? Now thin...
How To Overcome Selfishness
15 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Bertrand Russell was no fan of the Stoics. He thought they were cold, hated riches and passion. He t...
The Only Measure of Success
14 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There’s plenty written about people pushing through failure, pulling themselves out of the depths ...
Look For Teachable Moments
13 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On the eve of the 2008 election, the journalist Joe Klein asked Barack Obama how he’d made his dec...
If It’s Right, It’s Right For You
10 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Sometimes we get asked or tasked with doing stuff in life we’d rather not have to do. Maybe that’...
You Decide The End of The Story
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When James Stockdale was shot down in Vietnam, he was taken prisoner by the North Vietnamese. He spe...
The First and Most Important Victory
08 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It’s easy to look at people who are calm and self-disciplined and assume that their disposition co...
Who To Be Friends With?
07 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Of the Stoics, Seneca seems like the one who had the most fun. He’s the one who it’s easiest to ...
Don’t Sell Out
06 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In his Discourses, Epictetus asks a probing question: “Your respect, trustworthiness and steadines...
Be Sure To Love Them While You Still Can
03 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In one of the darkest passages in all of Stoic thought, Epictetus discusses the prospect of putting ...
Do Your Duty, Every Day, Everywhere
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The French philosopher Bernard-Henri Lévy was recently interviewed by the New York Times about his...
You’ll Never Get To Perfect
01 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Rosanne Cash tells a story in her memoir, Composed about a performance she did with George Harrison....