The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living: Featuring new translations of Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius

ruthlessly expunge the inessential from our lives. What vanity obligates us to do, what greed signs us up for, what ill discipline adds to our plate, what a lack of courage prevents us from saying no to. All of this we must cut, cut, cut.

never hate a hater). Our job is tough enough already. We don’t have time to think about what other people are thinking, even if it’s about us.

Life (and our job) is difficult enough. Let’s not make it harder by getting emotional about insignificant matters or digging in for battles we don’t actually care about.

the gifts irrevocably wasted through sloth or cowardice or carelessness.”

Is this really the environment you were made for?

“We are like many pellets of incense falling on the same altar. Some collapse sooner, others later, but it makes no difference.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 4.15

Old memories are replaced by new memories. Are we still the same people?

To quote Fight Club again, “We buy things we don’t need, to impress people we don’t like.”

“You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 7.38