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Stoicism Quotes

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Stoicism Quotes

“At any moment we may be toppled from our perch and made to do with less—less money, less recognition, less access, less resources. Even the “less-es” that come with age: less mobility, less energy, less freedom. But we can prepare for that, in some way, by familiarizing ourselves with what that might feel like.”

StoicismQuotes Of Wisdom
Book:The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
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“Whereas a belief in an absurd world arises out of the fundamental disharmony of a person searching for meaning in an apparently meaninglessness universe, an existential nihilist displays impassive intellectual stoicism towards their eventual mortality while embracing a passionate artistic commitment to munity against the underlying syndrome of insignificance and confusion encasing life.”

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Book:Dead Toad Scrolls
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“With respect to Stoicism, Hadot has described four features that constitute the universal Stoic attitude. They are, first, the Stoic consciousness of "the fact that no being is alone, but that we make up part of a Whole, constituted by the totality of human beings as well as by the totality of the cosmos"; second, the Stoic "feels absolutely serene, free, and invulnerable to the extent that he has become aware that there is no other evil but moral evil and that the only thing that counts is the purity of moral consciousness"; third, the Stoic "believes in the absolute value of the human person," a belief that is "at the origin of the modern notion of the 'rights of man'"; finally, the Stoic exercises his concentration "on the present instant, which consists, on the one hand, in living as if we were seeing the world for the first and for the last time, and, on the other hand, in being conscious that, in this lived presence of the instant, we have access to the totality of time and of the world." 17 Thus, for Hadot, cosmic consciousness, the purity of moral consciousness, the recognition of the equality and absolute value of human beings, and the concentration on the present instant represent the universal Stoic attitude. The universal Epicurean attitude essentially consists, by way of "a certain discipline and reduction of desires, in returning from pleasures mixed with pain and suffering to the simple and pure pleasure of existing.”

StoicismPage 34
Book:Philosophy as a Way of Life: Spiritual Exercises from Socrates to Foucault
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“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace there in the absence of every comfort, even of such as are now enjoyed in jail. I used to say that there were four privations in my situation - fire, water, earth and air. No fire to warm oneself on the coldest day, no water to drink but what was tainted, no earth to set the foot on, and scarcely any air to breathe. Yet, with all these miserable circumstances, we spent many a happy hour by candlelight in that wretched cabin whilst I sewed and he read the Bible to me.”

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Author:Stephen Taylor
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“But those who forget the past, ignore the present, and fear for the future have a life that is very brief and filled with anxiety: when they come to face death, the wretches understand too late that for such a long time they have busied themselves in doing nothing.”

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Book:On the Shortness of Life: Life Is Long if You Know How to Use It
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“Lives such as yours—how true it is!—though they should exceed a thousand years, will contract into the smallest span: but those vices of yours will swallow up any amount of time. This length of time you have, that reason prolongs, however swift nature makes its sojourn, is bound to pass quickly through your fingers; for you do not grasp it, or seek to hold on to it, or try to delay the passing of the swiftest thing of all, but allow it to depart, as if it were something surplus to requirement and easily replaced.”

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Book:On the Shortness of Life
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“Some time has passed? He holds it in recollection. Time is upon us? He uses it. Time is to come? This he anticipates. The combining of all times into one makes his life long. But for those who forget the past, disregard the present, and fear for the future, life is very brief and very troubled. When they reach the end of it, they realize too late, poor wretches, that they've been busied for so long in doing nothing.”

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Book:On the Shortness of Life
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“We all have problems. Or rather, everyone has at least one thing that they regard as a problem.”

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Author:Mokokoma Mokhonoana
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“At its core, Stoicism, like the sturdy oak tree, stands firm amidst the torrential downpour of life’s distractions. It teaches us that while we may not command the winds to change, we possess the power to adjust our sails, to guide our minds through the tumultuous sea of life’s happenings.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“Stoicism, like a seasoned sculptor, fashions the raw marble of our attention into a well-honed pillar of focus. The true currency of our existence is not time, but attention. The past and the future are but shadows and specters that have no claim over the vivacious vitality of the present moment. Stoicism implores us to dispense our attention wisely, not on the ephemeral apparitions of past regrets or future anxieties, but on the solid ground of the present.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“The world might rage around, yet within the Stoic’s mind, a tranquil sea prevails. The Stoic remains anchored, not carried away by the torrents of distraction, but rather cultivating a steadfast presence in each fleeting moment. In this ever-passing instant, the Stoic exercises his virtue, sharpens his wisdom, and wields his actions.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“The act of focusing is not simply the mental equivalent of gazing intently at an object. It is a confluence, a harmonious marriage of mind, heart, and will, an alignment akin to a troupe of actors on a stage, each playing their part, but all moving in harmony towards the climax of the play. This is the essence of true focus.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“Yet the object of our focus is not to be chosen lightly. In the marketplace of ambitions, dreams are sold in all sizes and shapes. But true fulfillment and achievement do not lie in the mere attainment of goals, but rather in the pursuit of those that are truly worthy. A target, after all, gives direction to our arrow, but the archer’s glory lies not in merely hitting the target, but in striking one that demands skill and character.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“Beware the folly of lending your focus to vain pursuits. Just as a river, when it is split into countless rivulets, loses its force and becomes but a whimper, a mind divided by trivial pursuits dissipates its strength. Focus, therefore, is not merely concentration, it is selection; not merely observation, it is dedication.”

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Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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“Imagine, if you will, a bird in flight. When it must overcome the gusts that hinder its path, it beats its wings with unyielding force. Yet, when it soars high in the sky, it spreads its wings and rides the wind, at peace in its journey. This is the model of focus we must aspire to: resolute in the face of opposition, tranquil in the embrace of flow.”

AttentionFocusMeditationDreamsMindfulnessFlowStoicismStoicAdhd
Book:The Power of the Present: A Stoic's Guide to Unyielding Focus
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