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Virtue & Paradox

Philosophy you can do, not just read.

Category

Stoicism

Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus read passage by passage: Stoic ideas traced to the texts that state them, popular quotes checked, and drills you can try.

3 entries

  1. Marble bust of Marcus Aurelius, Roman, AD 161–169, beside the five lines credited to him

    Flagship entry

    Stoic Quote Ledger: 3 of 15 Lines Match a 1634–1928 Text

    Fifteen common Stoic quotes from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Epictetus, checked against the Greek, the Latin and 1634–1928 translations: three match exactly.

    Trace: misquotes and invented traditions ·

    Image credit

    "Metropolitan Marcus Aurelius Roman 2C AD" by Foto Ad Meskens — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metropolitan_Marcus_Aurelius_Roman_2C_AD.JPG — CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

  2. Portrait bust of Marcus Aurelius, curly hair and beard, on a stone pedestal against a green museum wall

    Dichotomy of Control: Your Body Is on Epictetus's Other List

    Epictetus's dichotomy of control in the Greek and five public-domain translations: the body is the first item on his list of things not up to you.

    Close reading of a source text ·

    Image credit

    "Ny Carlsberg Glyptothek - Kaiser Mark Aurel Büste" by Wolfgang Sauber — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Ny_Carlsberg_Glyptothek_-_Kaiser_Mark_Aurel_B%C3%BCste.jpg — CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

  3. Roman marble double herm of Socrates and Seneca, 3rd century CE, seen from the side with the two heads back to back

    Stoic Evening Routine: Seneca Credits the Habit to Sextius

    Seneca's De Ira 3.36 sets out a Stoic evening routine and credits the habit to Sextius: his three questions, Epictetus's bedtime verses and a one-night drill.

    Drill guide ·

    Image credit

    "Double herm of Socrates and Seneca, Antikensammlung Berlin" by Mark Landon / Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Double_herm_of_Socrates_and_Seneca_(Berlin_Ant_Sk_397)_01.jpg — CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)