Sublime

Seneca tells a story about Alexander the Great. Apparently as Alexander was conquering the world, certain countries would offer him pieces of their territory in hopes that he’d leave them alone in exchange. Alexander would tell them, writes Seneca, that he hadn’t come all the way to Asia to accept whatever they would give him, but instead they were

I think that a Stoic, if we could make him submit to a Socratic interrogation, would defend his view more or less as follows: The universe is a single animate Being, having a soul which may also be called God or Reason. As a whole, this Being is free. God decided, from the first, that He would act according to fixed general laws, but He chose such

“Stop wandering about! You aren’t likely to read your own notebooks, or ancient histories, or the anthologies you’ve collected to enjoy in your old age. Get busy with life’s purpose, toss aside empty hopes, get active in your own rescue—if you care for yourself at all—and do it while you can.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS

« Impassibilité (ataraxia) à l'égard des événements qui viennent à ta rencontre produits par la cause extérieure. Justice (dikaiôsuné) dans les actions produites par la cause qui est en toi; que ton impulsion à agir, que ton action, ait pour fin le service de la communauté humaine, parce que cela est pour toi conforme à ta nature » (IX,31). « Il s'

Theophrastus says that the ones committed out of desire are worse than the ones committed out of anger: which is good philosophy.

“The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 6.6

“The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS

TAKE CHARGE AND END YOUR TROUBLES “You’ve endured countless troubles—all from not letting your ruling reason do the work it was made for—enough already!” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 9.26