For centuries, all sorts of people—generals and politicians, athletes and coaches, writers and leade
William Alexander Percy, the uncle of the great writer Walker Percy, and one of the last Southern St
People do a lot of things that feel mean. That frustrate us. That cause problems for us. That make t
We live in the freest time in the freest places in the history of the world. Yet many of us feel far
Really what the Stoics were trying to do is pare down what they had to worry about. That’s why Epict
Virtue is one of those words that contains multitudes. If you think about it, being virtuous is not
In Richard III and in Othello, Shakespeare has two different characters utter the same line. Both Ia
The best way to make sure you are always offended and upset is to be on the lookout for things to be
There is a certain archetype that is as old as literature and history themselves. One of the first t
Nietzsche’s classic line was “what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.” It’s a nice sentiment, but is
The occupations of the three most well-known Stoics could not be more different. Seneca was a playwr
Anne Frank would have celebrated her 90th birthday today. Although her life was cut tragically short
It wouldn’t seem like eating well would be an important part of the philosopher’s job, but indeed it
We can think of hardship many ways: As failure. As unfairness. As the end of the conversation. Clear
Maybe you’re having a difficult time in your relationship. Or work has worn you down. Maybe things h
Seneca wasn’t fond of philosophers you could recognize. Not by their fame, but by their uniform. In
There is a line in the Odyssey (most recently translated by Seneca’s wonderful biographer, Emily Wil
If Marcus Aurelius had his choice, he probably never would have been emperor. If he could have chose
Why did Marcus Aurelius write his Meditations? It wasn’t for an audience. It wasn’t simply to practi
In his twenty-third letter to Lucilius, Seneca opens with some meta snark that is relatable to anyon
There have been all sorts of wonderful technological innovations since Marcus Aurelius’s time, parti
