The Little Book of Stoic Quotes

By Phil Van Treuren

"A beautiful collection of Stoic meditations that unveils a simple and elegant philosophy of life." — Michael McGill, The Stay Stoic Newsletter

Stoicism is a simple, practical philosophy that teaches us to live joyfully, focus on the present moment, and accept things we can't control. All human beings are born with beautiful minds, and the ancient Stoics left us a blueprint for using them the right way.

"The Little Book of Stoic Quotes" features beautiful illustrations and commentary on the insights of Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and more. It's a unique showcase of timeless wisdom that invites us to embrace what we've been given . . . and become re-enchanted with life.

This delightful book from author Phil Van Treuren blends easy-to-read illuminations with splendid original artwork. Perfect for a quick read during peaceful moments, "The Little Book of Stoic Quotes" can act as either an engaging introduction to Stoicism or a fun refresher.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Stoic Simple Press
• Release date: Jun 8, 2024
• ISBN: 9798227651488

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

Who then is invincible? Those who cannot be upset by anything outside of their reasoned choice. — Epictetus

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When I was in my early twenties, I asked my grandfather if he’d been scared while going through months of radiation treatment for prostate cancer.

No, he said matter-of-factly. There was nothing I could do about it, so worrying wouldn’t have made any difference.

I doubt that my grandfather — who still lives independently as he approaches 100 — studied the works of many Stoic philosophers. But he probably wouldn’t have gained much from reading their advice anyway.

At the time I asked about his cancer treatment, my grandfather’s answer was something I couldn’t even comprehend. I never considered that people could simply choose to not worry about stuff that was out of their control.

Today — after reading my weight in books on Stoicism, both ancient and modern — I realize that my grandfather had already given me an example of the Stoic mindset, long before I ever heard the word philosophy.

There are plenty of natural born Stoics in the world, and you may know a few yourself. There’s a simple reason why so many of them have popped up throughout our history. As it happens, Stoic thinking is just basic human nature.

Stoicism wasn’t created by philosophers, it was identified by them. Think of ancient Stoics as early psychologists; the first scientists to study the human mind and codify ways of thinking that promote happiness and resilience.

Stoic philosophy is just a catalog of the most effective ways to think — so it makes sense that plenty of people naturally discover these methods on their own. Even if we lost every word that was ever written about Stoicism, the concepts would be rediscovered again and again. Human beings are the same joyful, resilient, imperfect people today that we were 100 years ago, 1,000 years ago and 10,000 years ago. We have the same beautiful minds.

Some people are born with natural athletic ability, while others have to train and practice to become athletic. The same goes for logical thinking: a few have it innately, but most of us need to read (and re-read) the words of ancient philosophers in order to learn it.

In fact, even those of us who actively strive to think Stoically often have to deal with neurological roadblocks like anxiety and depression, which make it difficult to simply choose the path of logical thinking.

Ancient Stoic philosophers made frequent metaphorical references to wrestling and lifting weights for a reason; Stoic thinking actually has lots in common with physical exercise. You can’t just lift weights one time and suddenly get stronger. In the same way, you can’t just read one philosophy book and suddenly be adept at Stoicism.

Teaching your mind to be calmer and more resilient can take a long time. It’s tough to make ourselves stop and think about our impressions before we react.

Can we use Stoicism to instantly logic our way out of irrational thinking? Of course not. (Admittedly, I’ve been guilty of preaching philosophy to loved ones and expecting it to cure their anxieties). But by consistently studying Stoic concepts, we can slowly give our thought patterns a type of muscle memory that eventually crowds out and replaces unhealthy mindsets.

The written words of philosophers are like training weights of the mind, as Epictetus so correctly said two millennia ago. The more we read Stoic quotes like those in this book — and really