An extensive list of the best Stoicism books along with brief descriptions. Stoicism is a philosophy that dates back over two thousand years. Unfortunately, some of the earliest texts written by the ancient Stoics weren’t preserved long enough for us to read today. But that doesn’t mean there’s a lack…
Cleanthes of Assos was the second head of the Stoic school in Athens, taking up the position following the death of the philosophy’s founder, Zeno, in 262 BC. He was known to support his study of philosophy by working nights as a water carrier, a job he continued to do…
The Stoics liked to draw parallels between the practice of philosophy and other, more physical pursuits that require concentrated effort to improve one’s ability. One popular analogy was to present Stoicism as a type of training similar to that an athlete would undertake. Where an athlete trains for an event,…
Let's begin with something Epictetus said we should think about every day. The lesson comes to us from his Discourses and he makes his point with some vivid and entertaining examples. Here’s what he says: “So what resources do we need to have at hand for circumstances like these? Just…
There’s a reason why subsequent societies have sought to preserve the work of ancient philosophers right up until the current day: their wisdom is timeless. Think about it, today we’re applying principles that were first recorded and popularized more than 2,000 years ago. At various stages of those 2,000 years…
The Stoics strongly believed that we should be respectful to everyone, no matter who they are or what they’ve done. It’s a freeing attitude: not only can we refuse to let the malevolent actions of others harm our free will, but we also always maintain the power to love, respect,…
If we let them, our days can become filled with activities that take our attention away from what we really want to be spending time on. Breaking news, advertising, social media disagreements — these are just some of the things that want to keep you engaged with them for as long as…
Whether we feel held back by our many personal responsibilities or stifled by our work environment, we all harbor a desire for more freedom. We often bemoan the restrictions that are placed on us. But what actually is freedom and how do we attain it? Well, as the Stoic teacher…
Daily practice is the most important component that makes the adoption of a “philosophy of life” real. Through our learning, we absorb the principles of our philosophy and prepare to act them into existence in the real world. A vital precursor to the application of our philosophy of life is…
When we get used to having certain material things in our lives—certain properties, certain possessions, certain paraphernalia—it’s natural to become complacent and believe that we’ll have them in our lives forever. We lose sight of, or deliberately ignore, the fact that we don’t ultimately have control over whether the things…