That thought should guide your actions every day. In the end, the mind is all that matters-your mind is what you really are. Intelligence, however, is by far the most important element of these three: You’re ruled by your intelligence. You endlessly recycle your spirit as you inhale and exhale. However, although necessary, spirit is really nothing but air and never the same air twice. The Stoics call spirit pneuma, and it’s considered to be the “breath of life.” Put simply, spirit is the force that animates you. Your body is just a vessel, and you’ll throw it away when you’re done with it. You shouldn’t concern yourself with your physical body, which is nothing more than a messy tangle of blood and bone. Of those three elements, the flesh is by far the least important. These are the things that come together to give you life, and when you die they merely separate again, with no harm done to any of them. You’re made of flesh, spirit, and intelligence. You can even apply the principle of seeing things as they are to yourself and so come to understand yourself better. In other words, before you react to anything, make certain that you understand it clearly. Finally, you should know what brought you into contact with this thing: for example, the will of the gods, random chance, or the actions of another person. Your definitions should be reasonable and accurate, not based on emotional reactions or illogical superstitions.įurthermore, you should know what parts go into making the thing in question, what its purpose is, and how you should deal with it (or if you even need to).

You should always be able to identify and define whatever you encounter-every object, person, and situation. Here are four principles that can help you develop a stoic outlook. The stoic way of life, thus, centers around cultivating these qualities.

Stoicism is a life philosophy that emphasizes agency, mental toughness, and self-discipline as tools for living a good life. Here are four principles to keep in mind if you’d like to try the stoic way of life. The stoic way of life, at its root, centers around looking at the world through the lens of logic and rationality and keeping a dispassionate attitude to extreme emotions. Stoicism began in ancient times, but its lessons are as relevant today as they were at the times of Zino of Citium, the founder of the Stoic school of thought. Is Stoicism relevant to modern life? How do Stoics view the world? Can anyone cultivate a stoic mindset? Like this article? Sign up for a free trial here. Shortform has the world's best summaries and analyses of books you should be reading. This article is an excerpt from the Shortform book guide to 'Meditations' by Marcus Aurelius.

Why throw away your life so recklessly