I love the timeless simplicity of Stoic Philosophy. Xeno, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus. Statesmen, Emperors, merchants & slaves bound by insight into the most basic tenet of Stoicism, that the path to a good & happy life is to live a virtuous life!
The Stoic philosophers lived over 2000 years ago, yet their basic understanding and practices into how to live our best life possible are as relevant now as they were then!
I have selected 12 principles that resonate with me the most and that if I were ‘King for a Day’ I would ensure is taught to every child across the globe. Humanity would be vastly different.
The most important rule: Philosophy, like knowledge, is not power. It is potential power. It does not become useful until it is put into practice!
“We must not only think differently. We must live differently.” - Seneca
12 Stoic Principles to Live By (well…my take on them!)
Live with good soul. Be a good person!
Your character & integrity define you. Live true to your values! Live a virtuous life - wisdom, discipline, courage & justice.
“A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness.” –Seneca
Stoics believed that for human beings the happy life was to be found only in the pursuit of virtue (human excellence), a pursuit that involved tempering our desires, aversions, and impulses so that they align better with the four cardinal virtues of:
Courage - being willing to face difficult and painful things head-on.
Discipline or Temperance - resisting excess of all sorts: food, luxury, leisure and doing what needs to be done.
Justice - doing what is right, even if it is inconvenient, difficult, or costly.
Wisdom - seeking to know & understand what is true, learn continuously and keep an open mind.
“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them” – Epictetus
In other words, the path to true happiness is not the selfish pursuit of pleasure, but a values-driven life of integrity, ethical behavior, and service.
The stoics believed that as an integral part of living a virtuous life we should try to express our highest self in every moment and close the gap between who we’re capable of being (our ideal self), and who we actually are in that very moment.
“Do the best with what we have got given the conditions that exist… and only you will know the truth” - paraphrase of many great thinkers!
2. Focus on what you can control.
We don’t control external events. We only control our thoughts, opinions, decisions, actions, behaviours & responses.
“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will – Epictetus
A hugely important practice in Stoic philosophy is differentiating between what we can change and what we can’t. What we have influence over and what we do not.”
So much of the chronic stress in our lives could be altered with this one stoic principle which a modern philosopher defines as “choosing wisely what is worth ‘giving a f$&@ about”.
We’d all be better off, both materially and emotionally, if we spent our time working to improve the things we can influence.
“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. Some things are up to us and some things are not up to us.” – Epictetus
The Serenity Prayer says it best:
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference”
3. You are responsible for your life & happiness
We are and must remain a unified self - we can’t complain or blame anyone else.
This Stoic tenet reminds us that, there is much that is outside of our control but our happiness isn't one of them. You can take control of your own life and happiness. You just have to do it!
The Stoics believed in a unified rational self. They took responsibility for maintaining that unity and would never support such thinking as “the devil made me do it,” or any other form of laying the blame or responsibility elsewhere.
“Don't waste even a second of your time on earth complaining” - Seneca
This is a simple one. If you find yourself blaming others for the state of your own life, consider making a shift.
“If you want something good, get it from yourself.” - Epictetus
4. Be resilient. The obstacle is the way!
Practice resilience when faced with obstacles, failure, or tragedy.
“Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up if thou wilt always look.”– Marcus Aurelius
We are each born with the resources we need to thrive in our life’s journey. You can shift your perspective towards adversity and obstacles by recognizing that they are incredible tools for growth. Difficulties, tragedies, setbacks, and failures are all opportunities to learn and become stronger.
“Under pressure and trial we get better—become better people, leaders, and thinkers. … See things for what they are. Do what we can. Endure and bear what we must. What blocked the path is now a path. What once impeded action advances action. The Obstacle is the Way.” - Ryan Halliday
5. Exercise your will. The good life requires discipline!
Do what you need to do, when you have to do it, whether you feel like it or not!
If we want to make a difference in the world, if we want to make something of ourselves, we need to be disciplined.
“Impulses of all kinds are going to come, and your work is to control them, like bringing a dog to heel. Put more simply: think before you act” - Ryan Halliday.
Stoics strive to do what is right regardless of how they feel. And they do this for two reasons: 1) It’s better for everyone else, and 2) It’s better for them.
“You have to persevere and fortify your pertinacity until the will to good becomes a disposition to good. How much better to pursue a straight course and eventually reach that destination where the things that are pleasant and the things that are honorable finally become, for you, the same.” –Seneca
6. No man is an island!
People need people.
Just because we're responsible for our own happiness doesn't mean that we exist in a vacuum. We are all connected to one another - all a part of the same system.
“That which is not good for the bee-hive cannot be good for the bees.” – Marcus Aurelius
Try as we might to live in a world dominated by our own interests, we will suffer and fail to realize our humanity unless we are constantly working to connect our sphere of concern with the concerns of others.
We should try always to bring the outer circles closer to ourselves—that is, to treat family like you would yourself; to treat a friend as you would family; to treat a fellow citizen as you would a friend; to treat a countryman as a fellow citizen; and, finally, to treat a foreigner as you would your own countryman.
In all that we do, we should try to bring these circles closer to ourselves. No man is an island, and none untouchable.
“Whenever you have trouble getting up in the morning, remind yourself that you’ve been made by nature for the purpose of working with others.” Marcus Aurelius
7. Persist and Resist!
It’s all about progress, not perfection.
The stoics saw the art of living as a process of continuous improvement—they believed in progress, not perfection.
“As we make progress in our various endeavors and encounter setbacks, we are constantly improving ourselves: thinking through things better, learning to anticipate trouble, choosing to act in a more virtuous way, and eliminating toxic emotions’ - Seneca
While we never get there fully, our progress brings peace and stability to our lives and benefits to everyone around us.
The courage and perseverance to keep moving toward what is good, and the self-control and awareness to resist what is bad. These are the ingredients of freedom, whatever one’s condition.
“If anyone would take these two words to heart and use them for his own guidance and regulation, he will be almost without sin and will lead a very peaceful life. These two words are ‘Persist and resist’ - Epictitus
8. Master your thoughts. Choose your response.
Be aware and make conscious choices.
“We don’t react to events; we react to our judgments about them, and the judgments are up to us.” –Ward Farnsworth
At the core of Stoicism is the practice of responding rather than reacting.
If all we do is react, then we don’t have any chance to choose to act in accordance with reason and virtue. We have to create a gap between stimulus and response, and intercede there in order to exercise our free will.
So when you are troubled by some event in your life, look at the big picture. The problems that upset us seem huge and extremely important. Zoom out, and you may see that they are not.
“Very little is needed to make a happy life, it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking” – Marcus Aurelius
“Your mind will be like its habitual thoughts; for the soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” –Marcus Aurelius
9. Be grateful.
Focus on what you have, not which you do not!
“He is wise who doesn’t grieve for the things he doesn’t have, but rejoices for the things he does have.” –Epictetus
Stoics believed in the importance of noticing and appreciating the many good things in life that we tend to take for granted.
“Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart."– Seneca
When we tap into the present moment, learn to accept our fate, and focus on what we can control, it's possible to really start recognizing just how lucky we are. How much there is to be thankful for every day.
"Each day provides its own gifts." – Marcus Aurelius
“Both happiness and unhappiness depend on perception.” – Marcus Aurelius
10. Love your fate.
Life is a roller coaster. Embrace your fate as if you planned it.
“Live an upright and virtuous life and love your fate.” - Seneca
In the Stoic concept of ‘amor fati’, literally love of one's fate, we learn to accept the things that happen to us as a part of a much larger system, a much larger universe. We recognize that we can grow stronger from the adversity we face and that we develop as people because of the events of our lives.
“Nothing happens to any man that he is not formed by nature to bear.”
– Marcus Aurelius
11. Live in the present. Carpe Diem
Live for today.
All we really have is now! The only thing you really have in your entire life is this present moment. So focus on today, only look back to learn and look fondly on the future.
”Don't stumble over something behind you.” – Seneca the Younger
What good does it do to complain about things from the past that cannot be changed? Better to spend your energy building a better future.
And why would you lose sleep thinking about what's going to happen tomorrow? Just be your best today!
“The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.” – Seneca the Younger
12. Don’t fear death.
Life is short. Live.
Meditate on your mortality and let your awareness of it inspire you to live your best life. Accept and embrace the reality and inevitability of death. Knowing your days are numbered gives you a sense of urgency and purpose. You'll approach each day with gratitude and make the most of every moment.
Many people go through life so afraid of death that they don't let themselves fully engage with life.
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” – Marcus Aurelius
Live like a Stoic
The truth is, if we want actual happiness, we must be disciplined, we must face adversity, and we must have the opportunity to prove ourselves and grow. We have to discern what is and isn't in our control, and we have to point our energy toward those things we can really change. We have to work every day to understand what it means to be virtuous and then actually strive to live a virtuous life.
If you're committed to improving yourself day in and day out using the ancient wisdom of the Stoic principles, you're in the right place.
Imagine your own funeral! What would you want people to say about you? How do you want to be remembered?
You probably want to be remembered as a resilient, disciplined, humble, grateful, wise & good person. You probably want to be remembered as someone who led by example and lived a life of virtue.
In other words, you probably want to be remembered as a Stoic.
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