Reading Time: 3minutesLet’s Be Honest—We All Avoid Thinking About Death We all know it’s coming—our own death—but few of us ever stop to think about it. We change the subject, distract ourselves, or pretend it’s far away. Recently, my wife and I watched an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation where Commander Riker faced his own ... Read more The post Facing Death: Depressing or Inspiring? appeared first on Original Mac Guy.| Original Mac Guy
This reflection on Amor Fati – the Stoic counsel to love your fate – was first published in June 2023, and drew many comments. I think it continues to have a lot to say to us. But what if we went even further and suggested that it is not just that things happen to me, […]| Brian Harris
"If it wasn’t for coffee, I’d have no discernible personality at all." ― David Letterman| Makoism
You’re probably familiar with the saying the coward dies a thousand deaths, but the brave die only once. It sounds great but I think there’s something to be said for dying a thousand deaths. The imaginative person lives a thousand lives and the unimaginative only one. The post Newsletter: September 2025 appeared first on David Egan Philosophy.| David Egan Philosophy
John D. Rockefeller once recalled that “for years on end I never had a solid night’s sleep, worrying about how it was to come out.… I tossed about in bed night after night worrying over the outcome.” This was coming from one of the most […]| Darius Foroux
The clenched fist is a universal symbol of determination as well as of aggressive tension. — Calvert Stein, ‘Clenched fist as a hypno behavioural procedure’, 1963Many years ago, I…| Donald J. Robertson
I was re-reading Seneca’s On Providence this morning. I’ve read it a bunch of times before, but it hit hard again. Every time I feel complacent or start complaining too much, I go back to the Stoics. They remind me of something I’ve always felt: Hardship is […]| Darius Foroux
The Cardinal Virtues – justice, temperance, prudence, and fortitude – are sometimes known as the pagan virtues. This is because before Christianity, the Greek and Roman civilizations saw them as the foundation of all other virtues, great and small.| Catholic Stand
Photo by Jonathan Kemper on UnsplashThis article describes a general framework for self-improvement that I employ in coaching. It’s based on Stoicism and third-wave cognitive-behavioural ther…| Donald J. Robertson
In my ongoing series about The Questions We Don’t Ask – And Why They Matter, I decided to answer this question: If you conclude that the afterlife you believe in isn’t real, how would you alter the…| Thoughts about leadership, history, and more
And thus the native hue of resolutionIs sicklied o’er with the pale cast of thought,And enterprises of great pith and momentWith this regard their currents turn awry,And lose the name of acti…| Donald J. Robertson
The moment you expect the world to care about your inner life, you set yourself up to be angry, confused, and stuck. Most of life is a trade. Time for money. Skill for opportunity. Trust for results. Many things in life are not like that […]| Darius Foroux
In this episode, I chat with Shermin Kruse. Shermin is a globally recognized negotiation consultant, law professor at Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law, and TEDx producer. She …| Donald J. Robertson
In each separate thing that you do, consider the matters which come first and those which follow after, and only then approach the thing itself. Otherwise, at the start you will come to it enthusiastically, because you have never reflected upon any of the subsequent steps, but later on, when some difficulties appear, you will […]| Donald J. Robertson
Towards that for the sake of which each being has been constituted and for which it was made, towards that it strives; now in what it strives towards, there resides its end; and where its end lies, there also lies its specific advantage and good. It follows that the good of a rational being must […]| Donald J. Robertson
Just as a mark is not set up in order to be missed, so neither does the nature of evil arise in the universe. Commentary The Stoics believed that the universe was created by Providence and that nothing in nature could therefore be evil when considered in relation to the whole because everything exists by […]| Donald J. Robertson
This currently requires a subscription but if you’re on Substack, you might be interested in checking out my conversation with below. The episode is available on the Waking Up app, along with my audio course on Stoicism. (Free trials are available.) Stay tuned for news of my forthcoming AMA on Waking Up. Claim your Free […]| Donald J. Robertson
I created this 14 page illustrated PDF handbook, with the help of two graphic designers. It connametains an overview of some of the main characters, events, and practical exercises, from my new book, and everyone is welcome to download a copy. How to Think Like Socrates is now available in hardback, ebook, and audiobook formats […]| Donald J. Robertson
I recently had this conversation with Chris Williamson about Socrates, for his Modern Wisdom podcast. Hope you enjoy listening. Please share the link with your friends! Highlights| Donald J. Robertson
"As long as there was coffee in the world, how bad could things be?" - Cassandra Clare| Makoism
Discover what Marcus Aurelius meant by “Self-reliance, always. And Cheerfulness.” Learn how to apply Stoic self-reliance in modern life with practical tips and timeless wisdom.| Via Stoica
Stoic Wisdom for Managing Anxiety We are currently inundated with perspectives and opinions that are presented as fact. While this is due to many factors, you could certainly blame the| Craemer Consulting
While on a military campaign which started in 170 and ended in 180, Marcus Aurelius1 wrote his Meditations in Greek for his own guidance and self-development. The original title of the work, if it had one, is unknown. ‘Meditations’ – as well as other titles including ‘To Himself’ – were adopted later. He had a logical mind, and his notes were representative of Stoic philosophy and spirituality.| Jayson Salazar Rodriguez | @jdsalaro | Blog
Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.| Jayson Salazar Rodriguez | @jdsalaro | Blog
In his thirteenth letter1, “On groundless fears”, Seneca the Younger2 writes to Lucilius about, predictably, human fear and how we, often without sufficient grounds, are affraid of that which is yet to come.| Jayson Salazar Rodriguez | @jdsalaro | Blog
In the third volume, chapter XXIII §1, of his discourses compiled by Arrian1, Epictetus2 gives his advice “to those who read and discuss for the purpose of display”.| Jayson Salazar Rodriguez | @jdsalaro | Blog
"A yawn is a silent scream for coffee" - Unknown| Makoism
Ethics, in ancient philosophy, is about what is good and what is bad, what we should do and what we should try not to do, what are right actions, what we value and what we don't. To the Stoics, the only good is the excellence of our character, or how well we can display virtue (or good character traits). Similarly, the only evil is vice, or behaviour that contradicts virtue.| Orion Philosophy
I first found a definition for Stoicism and Stoic philosophy by chance around 15 years ago when I picked up a copy of Philosophy for Life and Other Dangerous| Orion Philosophy
"I don't make changes to confuse anyone. I'm just searching. That's what causes me to change. I'm just searching for myself." - David Bowie| Makoism
2 | The Stand Up Philosophers
SENECA the Younger was, in philosophical orientation, a Roman Stoic. But it seems fair to say his was an eclectic Stoicism. (For example, one of the philosophers he quotes most often was Epicurus, the founder of Epicureanism.) This letter to his friend Lucilius discusses a divine spirit within us, functioning as some combination of Higher […]| Christian Platonism
Endless articles and innumerable campaigns have been devoted to helping men cry, ending the phrase “man up” and, above all, getting men to talk.| Quillette
