Wisdom Journal

Practical Philosophy

“For the things we have to learn before we can do them, we learn by doing them.”

- Aristotle, The Nicomachean Ethics

“‘I did that,’ says my memory. ‘I could not have done that,’ says my pride ... Eventually—the memory yields.”

- Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil

“You should not have a favourite weapon. To become over-familiar with one weapon is as much a fault as not knowing it sufficiently well."

- Miyamoto Musashi, The Book of Five Rings

“It is not sufficient just to remain calm in the event of catastrophe or emergency. When challenged by adversity, charge onwards with courage and jubilation. This is rising to a higher level. It is like the saying, ‘The more water there is, the higher the boat rises.’” 

- Yamamoto Tsunetomo, Hagakure: The Book of the Samurai‍ ‍

"The real problem isn't our limited time. The real problem […] is that we've unwittingly inherited, and feel pressured to live by, a troublesome set of ideas about how to use our limited time, all of which are pretty much guaranteed to make things worse."

- Oliver Burkeman, Four Thousand Weeks

“…Beliefs create emotions. Emotions create actions. Choose a belief for the action it creates.

[…] One thought makes you act selfish. Another makes you act generous. One thought makes you do something stupid. Another makes you do something smart.

Which belief is right? Wrong question. Which belief leads to the action you need now?”

- Derek Sivers, Useful Not True

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Stoicism:

"I'm an author, perhaps best known for books with titles that sound like infomercial products: the 4-hour workweek and the 4-hour body, which are published in about 45 languages or so. And I am a tech investor, and I've been involved early stage in companies like facebook, twitter, uber, alibaba, and perhaps 30 others […] I only bring up this background because I credit my successes, whatever they might be, to Stoicism. Think of it as an ideal operating system for thriving in high stress environments. And that is certainly why it's gained a huge foothold in Silicon Valley and professional sports. So if you study Stoicism, you'll be in very good company. It's a rulebook for making better decisions."

- Tim Ferriss

"Stoicism is not about suppressing or hiding emotion—rather, it is about acknowledging our emotions, reflecting on what causes them, and redirecting them for our own good. It is also about keeping in mind what is and what is not under our control, focusing our efforts on the former and not wasting them on the latter. It is about practicing virtue and excellence and navigating the world to the best of our abilities, while being mindful of the moral dimension of all our actions."

- Massimo Pigliucci

Ideas from the Big Three of Stoic Philosophy:

Seneca (c. 4 BC – 65 AD):

  • “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality”

  • “If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you’re needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.”

  • “The best wrestler is not he who has learned thoroughly all the tricks and twists of the art... but he who has well and carefully trained himself in one or two of them, and watches keenly for an opportunity of practising them.”

Epictetus (c. 50 – c. 135 AD):

  • Humans are troubled not by events, but by the meaning they give to those events.

  • Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him. (Sharon Lebell paraphrasing)

  • “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”

  • “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”

Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 AD):

  • “Vanity is the greatest seducer of reason.”

  • “Bear in mind that a person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.”

  • “Your mind will come to resemble your frequently repeated thoughts, because it takes on the hues of its thoughts.”

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