Notes from “The Daily Stoic” on Father’s Day

Epictetus, born a slave in the days of the ancient Roman Empire, is remembered for what is now called Stoicism, a practical, rather then theoretical philosophy. Stoics believe that the events in our lives come at us in random and chaotic ways, but that our actions are very much within our control, and thus, through rigorous self-discipline, we can be causative agents, the captains of our own ships, as it were. Quotes include:

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

No man is free who is not master of himself.

From the Daily Stoic:

“Be careful to leave your children well instructed rather than rich,” Epictetus said, “for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.” That’s what Stoicism was really about: Instructions for a moral life, for the good life. And that’s what a parent has to pass onto their kids, much more urgently than money or opportunity.

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