Category Archives: Stoicism

Rule #3: Nobody’s Perfect, Learn from Mistakes (My Own and Others)

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…and now for Rule 3 from the Nine rules:

“Third, that if men do rightly what they do, we ought not to be displeased; but if they do not right, it is plain that they do so involuntarily and in ignorance. For as every soul is unwillingly deprived of the truth, so also is it unwillingly deprived of the power of behaving to each man according to his deserts. Accordingly men are pained when they are called unjust, ungrateful, and greedy, and in a word wrong-doers to their neighbours.” The Meditations Chapter 11 Continue reading →

The infinity of the mind…

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“These are the properties of the rational soul: it sees itself, analyses itself, and makes itself such as it chooses; the fruit which it bears itself enjoys- for the fruits of plants and that in animals which corresponds to fruits others enjoy- it obtains its own end, wherever the limit of life may be fixed. Not as in a dance and in a play and in such like things, where the whole action is incomplete, if anything cuts it short; but in every part and wherever it may be stopped, it makes what has been set before it full and complete, so that it can say, I have what is my own. And further Continue reading →

Consider Your Neighbor’s Character and Motives (Rule #2)

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“If any have offended thee…second, consider what kind of men they are at table, in bed, and so forth: and particularly, under what compulsions in respect of opinions they are; and as to their acts, consider with what pride they do what they do.”  Marcus Aurelius Book 11

Nobody’s perfect.  Some are less perfect than others.  Again, my goal as a Stoic is to be above the fray.  Continue reading →

Nine Rules From Marcus Aurelius

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“Remember these nine rules, as if thou hadst received them as a gift from the Muses, and begin at last to be a man while thou livest.” –Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Book 11

In The Meditations, Book 11, I came upon nine rules that Marcus Aurelius advised himself to follow.  I found them to be thoughtful and helpful, in pondering “how to live.”  Not really anything fundamental, but some things to think about.

Here’s the first of the nine: Continue reading →

A Personal Creed: Do You Have One?

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I am a man of action, leading with passionate equanimity, rational self-interest, and never forgetting the power of individual liberty.  I will never forget that my wife is my queen, and I her king, and that my children are my gift to humanity.  I will respect the dignity of all, but measure the character of each.  I will honor my body and mind by taking care of them. I will light a candle in darkness.

The passage above is my creed.  This is not some fancy introduction to something I read, it really is mine.  I developed it over a period of years.  Continue reading →