Alexander Zenon > Quotes

“In an era characterized by incessant noise and constant distraction, we often find our minds pulled from one thought to another like a leaf in an October breeze. We are so preoccupied by modern living that we become totally disconnected from our ancient human roots in the natural world.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“Humans are not made for sitting at a desk all day. We have been evolving for millions of years to hunt animals through dense forest and vast plains. To walk huge distances in search of water. To spend hours searching for edible fruit to bring home to our families. The sedentary lifestyle many of us lead these days is no more than a by-product of the last few centuries.”
― Alexander Zenon

“The only good and evil in your life lies within you – in your choices.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“The afternoon presents an intersection where the momentum that we have gained in the morning may be either sustained or lost – where we can choose to either build on the morning’s foundations and embrace our challenges, or allow the stress and frustration of the day to ruin all our hard work.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“Our minds are a sanctuary; a safe haven which is totally impregnable to the outside world. It is only when we allow external problems and anxieties to enter our mind that this sanctuary becomes vulnerable.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“Tomorrow will arrive, come what may. The sun will rise, as it has always done, and will set in the evening when nature commands it.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“We human beings are not hive animals. We aren’t like bees or ants who just work constantly for the good of the community.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“To the Stoics, a good life meant living in accordance with nature, both universal nature – accepting the world for what it is, not resisting it because we think it should be different – and our own nature as human beings.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“The events that may befall you tomorrow are not new or novel, and the emotions that you will experience have been felt by countless others throughout the crashing torrent of time.

They survived. Why can’t you?”
― Alexander Zenon

“As the still dawn breaks and first light graces the horizon, we humans are presented with tremendous opportunity. We are gifted with a fresh start, a blank canvas upon which we can paint however we choose.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“By meditating on our thoughts, feelings, and desires, we are encouraging a sense of self-awareness and self-mastery. We observe the whimsical and impulsive movements of our mind without getting caught up in them, and in doing so we develop a greater understanding of ourselves.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“We are existing in a thin sliver of light between two potentially infinite portions of darkness.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life

“When we first wake up our minds are clear, which makes this the opportune time to direct our focus inwards, to organize our thoughts and to set our daily intentions through a few moments of meditation. Our duties and obligations have not yet begun to crowd our schedule, and the clarity of the dawn creates an open, undistracted mental space.”
― Alexander Zenon, The Stoic Handbook: A Practical Guide for Modern Life