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

“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

“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.”

“We can remove most sins if we have a witness standing by as we are about to go wrong. The soul should have someone it can respect, by whose example it can make its inner sanctum more inviolable. Happy is the person who can improve others, not only when present, but even when in their thoughts!” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 11.9

“Above all, keep a close watch on this—that you are never so tied to your… friends that you are pulled down to their level. If you don’t, you’ll be ruined… You must choose whether to be loved by these friends and remain the same person, or to become a better person at the cost of those friends...” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.2.1; 4–5

“..the world can control our bodies—we can be thrown in jail or be tossed about by the weather. But the mind? That’s ours. We must protect it. Maintain control over your mind and perceptions, they’d say. It’s your most prized possession.” —Holiday