Letters from a Stoic

"No one can rob you of your will; that is your own."

"Imagination is more destructive than reality."

"The good life is a process, not a state of being."

"Small things become great when done with great love."

"The path to virtue is by bearing crosses."

"Complaining about things does not change them."

"In every misfortune there is something good."

"Virtue is the only true good."

"The noble soul has reverence for itself."

"Those who wish to be wiser than others are usually fools."

"Change is the only constant in life."

"The sick man is not served by medicine if he refuses to obey the physician."

"A man ceases to be cowardly the moment he wishes to take flight."

"You will always find some Eskimo ready to instruct the Congolese on how to live in the jungle."

"Beware of desiring what cannot be yours."

"To wish to be well is a part of becoming well."

"True silence is the art of conversation."

"Misfortune is a test of integrity."

"Our plans miscarry because they have no aim."

"The obstacle is the way."

"Freedom can neither be given nor taken away; it is our natural state."

"Remember to be of service to those you love."

"It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it."

"Do nothing because of rivalry or because of hope for reward; do everything because of duty."

"The greatest progress is made by those who profit by the experience of others."

"Forbearance and courtesy are never wasted."

"You have within yourself a little god. What god?—a spark of divinity."

"True praise and commendation come from within yourself."

"Nothing is so unbelievable that oratory cannot make it acceptable."

"Even the smallest thing, if it be continuous, counts for much."