SELF SUFFICIENCY
UNITY / RESPONSIBLITY
Pviii – unchaperoned, and left to our own untutored judgement, we are quick to aim low and worship qualities that are beneath us – in this case an artificial animal that brings out our own animal instincts in a completely unregulated way. / Peterson
P62 – you have some vital role to play in the unfolding destiny of the world. You are, therefore, morally obliged to take care of yourself. / Peterson
P25 – he is blind, who shuts eyes of the understanding; he is poor, who has need of another, and has not from himself all things which are useful for life. / aurelius
GROWTH Pxxvii – I noted that the nature of such meaning was constantly represented in the great stories of the past, and it had to do more with developing character in the face of suffering than with happiness. / Peterson P94- perhaps happiness is always to be found in the journey uphill, and not in the fleeting sense of satisfaction awaiting at the next peak. / Peterson P103 – philosophy’s power to blunt all the blows of circumstance is beyond belief. / Seneca
BEGIN WITH YOURSELF P18 – every system must play its role properly, and at exactly the right time, or noise and chaos ensue. It is for this reason that routine is so necessary. The acts of life we repeat every day need to be automatized. / Peterson P157 – consider your circumstances. Start small. Have you taken full advantage of the opportunities offered to you? Are you working hard on your job or letting bitterness and resentment hold you back and drag you down? Do you have selfdestructive habits? Have you cleaned up your life? (set yourself in perfect order before you criticize the world) / Peterson P95 – there’s no state of slavery more disgraceful than one which is self-imposed. / Seneca P100 – neither in writing nor in reading wilt thou be able to lay down rules for others before thou shalt have first learned to obey rules thyself. / aurelius
P36 – evil does not naturally dwell in the world, in events, or in people. Evil is a byproduct of forgetfulness, laziness, or distraction; it arises when we lose sight of our true aim in life. / Epictetus P42 – you are not an isolated entity, but a unique, irreplaceable part of the cosmos. Don’t forget this. You are an essential piece of the puzzle of humanity. / Epictetus
WORTHY IDEAL / PURPOSE/ TRUTH / FACING LIFE / BEING VULNERABLE Pxxxi – the meaning of life without positive value is not simply neutral. Because we are vulnerable and mortal, pain and anxiety are an integral part of human existence. We must have something to set against the suffering that is intrinsic to being. / Peterson P27 – to stand up straight with your shoulders back is to accept the terrible responsibility of life, with eyes wide open. It means deciding to voluntarily transform the chaos of potential into the realities of habitable order. It means adopting the burden of self-conscious vulnerability, and accepting the end of the unconscious paradise of childhood, where finitude and mortality are only dimly comprehended. / peterson P28 – thus emboldened, you will embark on the voyage of your life, let your light shine on the heavenly hill, and pursue your rightful destiny. Then the meaning of your life may be sufficient to keep the corrupting influence of mortal despair at bay. / Peterson P173 – if you abide, truthfully and courageously, by the highest of ideals, you will be provided with more security and strength than will be offered by any shortsighted concentration on your own safety; if you live properly, fully, you can discover meaning so profound that it products you even from the fear of death. / Peterson P227 – live in truth. This means, act diligently towards some well-articulated, defined and temporary end. / Peterson Stoic mantra- “to live consistently with nature.” ‘to be happy is to be virtuous, to be virtuous is to be rational, to be rational is to follow nature.’
He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive. - Seneca And if anyone is afraid of an operation of nature, he is a child. –aurelius, speaking on the fear of death. it is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live. – aurelius I will throw you into the prison – correction, it is my body you will throw there – Epictetus P72 – a person who has learned how to die has unlearned how to be a slave. / Seneca P39 – unless we fully give ourselves over to our endeavors, we are hollow, superficial people and we never develop our natural gifts. We’ve all known people who, like monkeys, mimic whatever seems novel and flashy at the moment. But then their enthusiasm and efforts wane; they drop their projects as soon as they ``become too familiar or demanding. A half-hearted spirit has no power. Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. / Epictetus P9 – for those too are triflers who have wearied themselves in life by their activity, and yet have no object to which to direct every movement, and, in a word, all their thoughts. / those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy. / this thou must always bear in mind , what is the nature of the whole, and what is my nature, and how this is related to that / aurelius P12 – the soul of man does violence to itself … when it allows any act of its own and any movement to be without an aim, and does anything thoughtlessly / aurelius P44 – for I seek the truth by which no man was ever injured. But he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance. / aurelius P105 – if it is not right, do not do it; if it not true, do not say it. / aurelius
ADVERSITY / LAZINESS P47 – If it were possible to permanently banish everything threatening – everything dangerous (and therefore everything challenging and interesting), that would mean that only another danger would emerge; that of permanent human infantilism and absolute uselessness. / Peterson I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent – no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you. – Seneca P36 – and the state of mind that looks on all activity as tiresome is not true repose, but spineless inertia. / seneca P30 – in the morning when thou rise unwillingly, let this thought be present – I am rising to the work of a human being. Why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world? Or have I been made for this, to lie in the bedclothes and keep myself warm? But this is more pleasant. Dost thou exist then to take thy pleasure, and not at all for action or exertion? Dost thou not see the little plants, the little birds, the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe? / aurelius
INDEPENDENCE P63 – Strengthen the individual. Take care with yourself. Define who you are. Refine your personality. Choose your destination and articulate your being. / Peterson He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe – aurelius P86 – you are doing the finest possible thing, if you are persevering in your efforts to acquire a sound understanding. This is something it is foolish to pray for when you can win it from your own self. / seneca P12 – personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. / you have been given your own work to do. Get to it right now, do your best at it, and don’t be concerned with who is watching you. / Epictetus
P50 – if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. / Epictetus P107 – practice self-sufficiency. Don’t remain a dependent, malleable patient; become your own soul’s doctor. / epictetus
ASSOCIATIONS/ ENVIRONMENT P79 – down is a lot easier than up. (associate with people who choose to go up -- Rule 3 ‘make friends with people who want the best for you” / Peterson P43 – retire into yourself as much as you can. Associate with people who are likely to improve you. / Seneca P23 – it is not a demonstration of kindness or friendship to the people we care about to join them in indulging in wrongheaded, negative feelings. / epictetus P30 – those who pursue the higher life of wisdom, who seek to live by spiritual principles must be prepared to be laughed at and condemned. Many people who have progressively lowered their personal standards in an attempt to win social acceptance and life’s comforts bitterly resent those of philosophical bent who refuse to compromise their spiritual ideals and who seek to better themselves. / Epictetus P54- just because people are nice to you doesn’t mean you should spend time with them. The world is full of agreeable and talented folk. The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. / Epictetus
OVERINDULGENCE IN PLEASURE P80 – it’s easier to put off until tomorrow what needs to be done today, and drown the upcoming months and years in today’s cheap pleasures. / Peterson P169 – the successful among us delay gratification. The successful among us bargain with the future. / what’s the difference between the successful and the unsuccessful? The successful sacrifice. / Peterson P200 – there is no faith and no courage and no sacrifice in doing what is expedient. / Peterson “if you fulfill your obligations every day you don’t have to worry about the future. “ “stop doing the things that make you feel weak.” “what goal would justify the suffering of your life?” – JP P230 – the path that leads to pleasures is the downward one; the upward climb is the one that takes us to rugged and difficult ground. /seneca P44 – most people tend to delude themselves into thinking that freedom comes from doing what feels good or what fosters comfort and ease. The truth is that people who subordinate reason to their feelings of the moment are actually slaves. / Epictetus
RESPONSIBILITY FOR PROBLEMS P99 – life doesn’t have the problem. You do. / Peterson P18 – nothing can truly be taken from us. There is nothing to lose. Inner peace begins when we stop saying of things, “I have lost it” and instead say, “it has been returned to where it came from.” / Epictetus P47 – undisciplined people are forever on the lookout for signs that build up or reinforce their unexamined views and opinions. / Epictetus P47 – undisciplined people are forever on the lookout for signs that build up or reinforce their unexamined views and opinions. / aurelius
P51 – the things which are external to my mind have no relation at all to my mind. Let this be the state of thy affects, and thou standest erect. To recover thy life is in thy power. Look at things again as thou didst use to look at them; for in this consists the recovery of thy life. / aurelius P69 – if thou art painted by any external thing, it is not this that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it. And it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now. // even if thou art painted because thou art not doing some particular thing which seems to thee to be right, why dost thou not rather act than complain? / aurelius
ACTION P103 – you can only find out what you actually believe (rather than what you think you believe) by watching how you act. / Peterson P158 – say only those things that make you strong. Do only those things that you could speak of with honor. / Peterson P282 – say what you mean, so that you can find out what you mean. Act out what you say, so you can find out what happens. /Peterson P221 – let us expand our life; action is its theme and duty. /Seneca P51 – first and foremost, think before you speak to make sure you are speaking with good purpose. / epictetus P58 – don’t be afraid of verbal abuse or criticism. Only the morally weak feel compelled to defend or explain themselves to others. Let the quality of your deeds speak on your behalf. /epictetus P74 – show your character and your commitment to personal nobility through your actions. /epictetus P77 – there is a big difference between saying valuable things and doing valuable things. /Epictetus P51 – every man is worth just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself. /aurelius P78 – well then, man; do what nature now requires. Set thyself in motion. / aurelius
P87 – no longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such. / aurelius
INTROSPECTION P170 – the world is revealed, to an indeterminate degree, through the template of your values. If the world you are seeing is not the world you want, therefore, it’s time to examine your values. /Peterson P63 – no one can lead a happy life, or even one that is bearable, without the pursuit of wisdom. /Seneca P140 – what really ruins our characters is the fact none of us looks back over his life. /seneca
FACING AND LIVING IN TRUTH P212 – if you betray yourself, if you say untrue things, if you act out a lie, you weaken your character. If you have a weak character, then adversity will mow you down when it appears, as it will, inevitably. You will hide, but there will be no place left to hide. / Peterson P107 – the person who has run away from the world and his fellow men, whose exile is due to the unsuccessful outcome of his own desires, who is unable to endure the sight of others more fortunate, who has taken to some place in hiding in his alarm like a timid, inert animal, he is not ‘living for himself’, but for his belly and his sleep and his passions – in utter degradation in other words. / seneca
P7 – it is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance. /epictetus
P190 – does it surprise you that running away doesn’t do you any good? The things you’re running from are with you all the time. /Seneca
P10 – we cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them. /epictetus
P40 – the best way of avenging thyself is to not become like the wrong-doer. / aurelius
P11 – when we suffer setbacks, disturbances or grief, let us never place the blame on others but on our own attitudes. Small minded people habitually reproach others for their own misfortunes. /Epictetus P17 – every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. / dig deeply. You possess strengths you might not realize you have. Find the right one. Use it. /Epictetus P35 – such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. /aurelius P57 – exert thy skill upon thy present thoughts, that nothing shall steal into them without being well examined. / aurelius P58 – look within. Within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig. /aurelius
P72 – he then who lies intentionally is guilty of impiety inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving. // and indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain as evil, is guilty of impiety. // and further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from injustice, and this is plainly impiety. /aurelius P74 – he who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad. He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing, not only he who does a certain thing. /aurelius P105 – if it is not right, do not do it; if it not true, do not say it. / aurelius All page numbers are from the following books Peterson- 12 rules for life Seneca – Letters from a stoic Epictetus – The art of living Aurelius- Meditations