The 24 Ancient Techniques for an Invincible Mind

The Art
of Stoic
Perception
24 Ancient
Techniques for
Creating an
Invincible Mind
by William Boyce
& Sean OConnor
Its all in how you perceive it. Youre in control.
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Table of Contents
Part 1: Master Your Perception

1. Do not be fooled by impressions: uncover the truth beneath the surface.
2. Focus on what is in your control do not concern yourself with the rest.
3. Welcome all that happens with a noble spirit the course of nature is unalterable.
4. Contemplate the scale of your life humility declutters the mind.
Part 2: Fortify Your Mind

5. Visualize negative outcomes, and nothing that happens will shock you.
6. Train for hardship, and no situation will overpower you.
7. Practice living with little: want what you already have.
8. Consider external things borrowed, not owned accepting that they must be returned.
9. Reflect on the nature of death don't be fooled by its reputation.
Part 3: Conquer Adversity

10. Turn adversity into an advantage only hardship breeds triumph.
11. Balance your perspective: contrast situations with their extremes.
12. Do not blame events for your frustrations blame your expectations.
13. Conquer pain and sickness suering is an opportunity for heroism.
14. Remind yourself that all is familiar nothing in life is foreign or new.
Table of Contents
Part 4: Love (and Endure) Humankind

15. Love humankind we are in this together.
16. Forgive the wrongs of others they err because they do not know better.
17. Counter envy with reason satisfaction can only be found within.
18. Inspire others through action no one likes a lecture.
Part 5: Act with Purpose

19. Remember your duty as a human to live as your nature demands.
20. Make no random actions nature has made no promise of tomorrow.
21. Banish the nonessential pruning the many makes the few strong.
22. Do not expect wealth and fame let rewards be a pleasant surprise.
23. Strive for moderation tranquility resides in balance.
24. Do not rest on the laurels of the past always strive for truth.
Introduction
Life occurs in the mind. We filter each experience through the lens of our past,
perceiving the world as a product of our emotion not truth.
Stoicism, a Greco-Roman philosophy founded by Zeno in the 3rd century BCE,

teaches that we can train our minds to see beyond these emotions; that through
the use of reason, we can enhance our perception of life. Named after the Stoa
Poikele meaning painted porch where Zeno taught in Athens, Stoicism
was created as a practical philosophy for everyday life.
It is a philosophy that we can use to increase our happiness, productivity,

patience, and love for humankind. photo by Pierre-
So much is outside of our control. But the Stoics taught that we are always in control of our reason and
reactions. Understanding and applying this fundamental concept gives us the ability to master our
perception. We can recognize emotions like fear, anxiety, hatred, and jealousy and cut them o. By honing
our reason, we can master the world of which we perceive. Put simply, our thoughts determine our reality.
The following are 24 Stoic techniques as passed down by this Greco-Roman tradition. Stoicism reached its
height of popularity in Imperial Rome, but the majority of Stoic works were lost or destroyed after the fall of
the empire. In this book, we will explore the surviving texts of three Roman Stoic philosophers: Seneca,
Epictetus, and the last of the Good Emperors of Rome Marcus Aurelius.
Mastering the art of Stoic perception takes practice and hard work, so as you move through these
techniques, remember to put them into action in your daily life.
pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 5

Part 1
Master Your Perception
1
Technique 1
Do not be fooled by impressions:

uncover the truth beneath the surface.
Can you remember the last time you were watching the news as a tragedy
unfolded before you? How did you react? You were probably overwhelmed
with emotion. Feelings of sadness or anger began filling your mind. You
allowed emotions to define the situation and control your reaction. These
emotional responses are unavoidable an integral part of your biology.
But the Stoics taught us that we have the power to override these emotional
knee-jerks with logical thinking. Like seeing the finest wine as no more than
fermented grapes, we can strip away the false appearances of events and lay
them bare, viewing them objectively. Only then can we choose the proper
reaction.
You have the power at every moment to pause, take a deep breath, and
acknowledge your emotional response. Separate the event from your
reaction, reminding yourself: I have it in my power to control my reaction to
this event. That bad thing happened? Yes, but this situation is outside of me.

Words of Wisdom
1
If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but
your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment
now.
Things stand outside of us, by themselves, neither knowing anything of

themselves nor expressing any judgment.
Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me,
in my own perceptions not outside.
Dont let the force of the impression when first it hits you knock you o your
feet; just say to it, Hold on a moment; let me see who you are and what you
represent. Let me put you to the test.
Epictetus, Discourses
Like seeing roasted meat and other dishes in front of you and suddenly
realizing: This is a dead fish. A dead bird. A dead pig. Or that this noble
vintage [wine] is grape juice perceptions like that latching onto things and
piercing through them, to see what they really are to strip away the legend
that encrusts them.

Technique 2
Focus on what is in your control:

do not concern yourself with the rest.
If you woke up tomorrow and it was raining though the forecast called for sun,
would you be upset? Would you be angry that the forecaster was wrong?
Irritated at the sun for failing to break through the clouds?
Much of life is in fact no more under our control than the weather, such as
other peoples actions, opinions, and events we view as happening to us.
Instead of worrying, we should accept what we cannot change. We should
focus our time and energy on what is in our power our thoughts
and actions.
You might work out and eat well each day, undoubtedly improving your
health. But disease could still unexpectedly take hold of you this is outside
your control.
At all times try to focus on what is in your power. By doing so, you will enable
yourself to make the most of every situation and progress more eciently
towards your goals.

Words of Wisdom
We should always be asking ourselves: Is this something that is, or is not, in
my control?
Epictetus, Enchiridion
Define for me now what the indierents are. Whatever things we cannot
control. Tell me the upshot. They are nothing to me.
Its something like going on an ocean voyage. What can I do? Pick the captain,
the boat, the date, and the best time to sail. But then a storm hits What are
my options? I do the only thing I am in a position to do, drown but fearlessly,
without bawling or crying out to God, because I know that what is born must
also die.
Take a lyre player: hes relaxed when he performs alone, but put him in front of
an audience, and its a dierent story, no matter how beautiful his voice or how
well he plays the instrument. Why? Because he not only wants to perform well,
he wants to be well received and the latter lies outside his control.

Technique 3
Welcome all that happens with a

noble spirit the course of nature
is unalterable.
Life seems to throw a great deal at us. While our thoughts and actions may be
in our power, the situations we face in life rarely are. We are only threads in
the ever-changing cosmic fabric.
Meet lifes challenges head on. Dont struggle against the inevitable or
unavoidable. Instead search for opportunities in every moment to exercise
your Stoic virtues and strength.
Epictetus tells the story of Agrippinus, who was preparing for lunch, when a
messenger arrived from Rome announcing that [Emperor] Nero had sentenced
him to exile [to Aricia]. Unflustered he replied, Then why dont we just move
our lunch to Aricia.

Words of Wisdom
Let us meet with bravery whatever may befall us. Let us never feel a shudder
at the thought of being wounded or of being made a prisoner, or of poverty or
persecution.
Seneca, Letters from a Stoic
Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our
existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit,
such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all
that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with natures.
Cling tooth and nail to the following rule: not to give in to adversity, never to
trust prosperity, and always take full note of fortunes habit of behaving just as
she pleases, treating her as if she were actually going to do everything it is in
her power to do. Whatever you have been expecting for some time comes as
less of a shock.
Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.

Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of
time. The twining strands of fate wove both of them together.

Technique 4
Contemplate the scale of your life

humility declutters the mind.
All too often we can get swept up in the motions of life. As we move between
school, work, and family, we forget how much exists beyond our tiny sphere of
experiences.
Take a moment and reflect on your life. Feel where you are now slowly
move outward, visualizing your street, then your city. Expand further to your
country, then the world, and then the cosmos.
Now return to the diculties you face in your life. Do they still consume you as
they did before, so seemingly omnipresent? Find peace and humility in the
realization that the scale of your problems are tiny in the grand scheme of
things. What weighs you down is much lighter than you imagine.

Words of Wisdom
Plato has a fine saying, that he who would discourse of man should survey, as
from some high watchtower, the things of earth.
Remember: Matter. How tiny your share of it. Time. How brief and fleeting your
allotment of it. Fate. How small a role you play in it.
You can discard most of the junk that clutters your mind and clear out space
for yourself by comprehending the scale of the world by contemplating
infinite time by thinking of the speed with which things change each part of
every thing; the narrow space between our birth and death; the infinite time
before; the equally unbounded time that follows.
Asia and Europe: distant recesses of the universe. The ocean: a drop of water.
Mount Athos: a molehill. The present: a split second in eternity. Minuscule,
transitory, insignificant.

Part 2
Fortify Your Mind
Technique 5
Visualize negative outcomes, and

nothing that happens will shock you.
The things that shock us seem to occur at the times we least expect them
the death of a loved one, sickness, war. But just as an army trains for battle in
times of peace, we have the ability to prepare for even life's most catastrophic
and disturbing outcomes.
When you wake each day, remind yourself: today I may lose someone I love,
face pain or sickness, fail at my goals, lose my job or my home. Visualize each
event from a distance, and see yourself reacting calmly and rationally. This will
prepare you for even the harshest of outcomes and increase your gratitude
for each day of good fortune.

Words of Wisdom
This is why we need to envisage every possibility and to strengthen the spirit
to deal with the things which may conceivably come about. Rehearse them in
your mind: exile, torture, war, shipwreck. Misfortune may snatch you away
from your country If we do not want to be overwhelmed and struck numb by
rare events as if they were unprecedented ones; fortune needs envisaging in
a thoroughly comprehensive way.
What is quite unlooked for is more crushing in its eect, and unexpectedness
adds to the weight of a disaster. The fact that it was unforeseen has never
failed to intensify a persons grief. This is a reason for ensuring that nothing
ever takes us by surprise. We should project our thoughts ahead of us at
every turn and have in mind every possible eventuality instead of only the
usual course of events.
That person has lost their children: you too, can lose yours; that person
received sentence of death: your innocence too, stands under the hammer.
This is the fallacy that takes us in and makes us weak while we suer
misfortunes that we never foresaw that we could suer. The person who has
anticipated the coming of troubles takes away their power when they arrive.
Seneca, Consolation to Marcia

Technique 6
Train for hardship, and no situation

will overpower you.
The Stoic philosopher Seneca was one of the wealthiest men in the Roman
Empire, but he would set aside a few days each month to live as if he were in
poverty eating little food and wearing rough clothing. He did this to train his
mind and his body, and to remind himself that his happiness was not
dependent upon external factors such as money and belongings.
You too can fortify your mind by occasionally placing yourself in dicult or
uncomfortable situations. This may mean taking a cold shower in the morning,
eating only rice for a day, walking barefoot through the city, or sleeping on the
floor for a night.
In doing so, not only will you be preparing your mind and body for the
possibility of unforeseen and tough circumstances, but you will find that those
things you used to dread like poverty or disaster are bearable after all.

Words of Wisdom
A commander never puts such trust in peace that he fails to prepare for a war.
Everyone faces up more bravely to a thing for which he has long prepared
himself, suerings, even, being withstood if they have been trained for in
advance. Those who are unprepared, on the other hand, are panic-stricken by
the most insignificant happenings.
It is in times of security that the spirit should be preparing itself to deal with
dicult times; while fortune is bestowing favors on it then is the time for it to
be strengthened against her rebus.
Set aside now and then a number of days during which you will be content
with the plainest of food, and very little of it, and with rough, coarse clothing,
and will ask yourself, 'Is this what one used to dread?

Technique 7
Practice living with little:

want what you already have.
Have you ever wondered why Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wear the
same outfit every day? Surely they could aord to buy more clothes (or even
pay someone to color-match their wardrobe). Yet they do so because it
reduces the complexity in their lives and saves valuable energy to direct
towards the daily tasks at hand.
There is power in simplicity.
Over time we grow accustomed to the things in our lives, and become numb
to them. Practice simplicity from time to time. Go without your car for a week
see what it is like to take mass transit. Strip away everything that is
unnecessary in life and see if you are truly less happy than you were before.
Remind yourself that your happiness does not depend upon material goods. In
recalibrating your expectations, you will discover how fortunate you are.

Words of Wisdom
It is essential to make oneself used to putting up with a little. Even the wealthy
and the well provided are continually met and frustrated by dicult times and
situations. It is in no mans power to have whatever he wants; but he has it in
his power not to wish for what he hasnt got, and cheerfully make the most of
the things that do come his way.
Barley porridge, or a crust of bread, and water do not make a very cheerful
diet, but nothing gives one keener pleasure than the ability to derive pleasure
even from that and the feeling of having arrived at something which one
cannot be deprived of by any unjust stroke of fortune.
Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary

many things are. Weve been using them not because we needed them but
because we had them One of the causes of the troubles that beset us is the
way our lives are guided by the example of others; instead of being set to
rights by reason were seduced by convention.

Technique 8
Consider external things borrowed,

not owned accepting that they must
be returned.
Your mind is the only thing you own in life. Your possessions and loved ones
are only borrowed gifts which can be taken away at any moment. Everyone
you know will die. Everything you own can be destroyed. Enjoy your friends
and family in the moment, but dont let yourself grow entitled.
See external things as an actor views props on a stage enjoying them during
the length of the play, but knowing they must be returned when the script
calls. Accepting this will help you make the most of your loved ones never
regretting that you did not appreciate them more.

Words of Wisdom
We have no grounds for self-admiration, as though we were surrounded by
our own possessions; they have been loaned to us. We may use and enjoy
them, but the one who allotted his gift decides how long we are to be tenants;
our duty is to keep ready the gifts we have been given for an indefinite time
and to return them when called upon, making no complaint: it is a sorry debtor
who abuses his creditor.
No one is worthy of a god unless he has paid no heed to riches. I am not, mind
you, against your possessing them, but I want to ensure that you possess
them without tremors; and this you will only achieve in one way, by convincing
yourself that you can live a happy life even without them, and by always
regarding them as being on the point of vanishing.
If they could ever satisfy us they would have done so by now never thinking
how pleasant it is to ask for nothing, how splendid it is to be complete and be
independent of fortune.
Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go.


Technique 9
Reflect on the nature of death

don't be fooled by its reputation.
There is nothing more that we fear in life than death. The Stoics taught that
this fear is irrational nothing but rumors heard from the living.
See death for what it is a state you experienced for an eternity before you
were born (was it so bad the first time?) a state you will return to, like a
traveler returning home from a long journey.
Death is a part of the cycle of life. The cruelness of death is its unpredictability.
The life of a healthy young woman is equally at risk as the life of an old man.
Rehearse death in your mind, knowing it may come at any moment.
Remember that more important than a life short or long, is a life well lived.

Words of Wisdom
Even if youre going to live three thousand more years, or ten times that,
remember: you cannot lose another life than the one youre living now The
present is the same for everyone; its loss is the same for everyone; and it
should be clear that a brief instant is all that is lost. For you cant lose either
the past or the future; how could you lose what you dont have?
Theres no dierence between the one and the other you didnt exist and
you wont exist youve got no concern with either period.
I never ceased to find comfort in cheerful and courageous reflections. 'What's

this?' I said. 'So death is having all these tries at me, is he? Let him, then! I had
a try at him a long while ago myself.' 'When was this?' you'll say. Before I was
born. Death is just not being. What that is like I know already. It will be the
same after me as it was before me. If there is any torment in the later state,
there must also have been torment in the period before we saw the light of
day; yet we never felt conscious of any distress then. I ask you, wouldn't you
say that anyone who took the view that a lamp was worse o when it was put
out than it was before it was lit was an utter idiot? We, too, are lit and put out.
We suer somewhat in the intervening period, but at either end of it there is a
deep tranquillity.

Part 3
Conquer Adversity
Technique 10
Turn adversity into an advantage

only hardship breeds triumph.
Most people view adversity as an evil an obstacle preventing them from
achieving their goals and finding happiness. You can flip this view by
recognizing that there is no better opportunity to test yourself than during
times of hardship.
Just as an athlete faces the trials of the arena, use adversity as an occasion to
test your virtues and prove your mettle. It is easy to have principles in theory
acting by them is another feat entirely.
Only by facing up to hardship can we strengthen our resolve.

Words of Wisdom
Just as nature takes every obstacle, every impediment, and works around it
turns it to its purposes, incorporates it into itself so, too, a rational being can
turn each setback into raw material and use it to achieve its goal.
On the occasion of every accident (event) that befalls you, remember to turn
to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use If it be
abusive words, you will find it to be patience. And if you have been thus
formed to the (proper) habit, the appearances will not carry you along with
them.
A setback has often cleared the way for greater prosperity. Many things have
fallen only to rise to more exalted heights.
Let us too overcome all things, with our reward consisting not in any wreath or
garland, not in trumpet-calls for silence for the ceremonial proclamation of our
name, but in moral worth, in strength of spirit, in a peace that is won forever
once in any contest fortune has been utterly defeated.

Technique 11
Balance your perspective: contrast

situations with their extremes.
We often find ourselves overwhelmed by outside events, even minor
annoyances consume us. The Stoics taught that by contextualizing external
situations comparing them to the many ways which they could be worse
we can rebalance our perspective.
Are you frustrated while waiting in line at the store? Be thankful that youre not
living in a country with rations so extreme that grocery stores are empty. Are
you experiencing pain or sickness? Recount the innumerable people in history
who have faced up to disease, slavery, and even torture.
Visualize every situation at its proper scale, remembering that the annoyances
you face will soon be forgotten and see with humor the weight you place on
something so trivial.
photo by Atibordee Kongprepan

Words of Wisdom
Others have been plundered, indiscriminately, set upon, betrayed, beaten up,
attacked with poison or with calumny mention anything you like, it has
happened to plenty of people.
And here you may mention anything you care to name a fit of uninterrupted
coughing to violent that it brings up part of the internal organs, having ones
very entrails seared by a fever, thirst, having limbs wrenched in dierent
directions with dislocations of the joints There have been men who have
undergone these experiences and never uttered a groan.
Look around you at all the throng of those you know and those you do not,
you will find everywhere men whose suerings have been greater; legend has
not granted exemption from misfortune even to the gods.
Seneca, Consolation to Marcia
photo by Atibordee Kongprepan

Technique 12
Do not blame events for your

frustrations blame your expectations.
Life can seem full of setbacks and disappointments misfortunes, injustices,
betrayals, empty promises.
When you find yourself frustrated, instead of blaming people or outside

events, turn your focus within. Perhaps your boss wronged you are you mad
because they mistreated you, or because you expected they would not do so?
What led you to believe that a human would never wrong another?
Remember that every disappointment or frustration is a result of your own

unrealistic expectations expectations which you alone are accountable for.
Do not expect this or that, and do not complain when the world does not
function as you expect it should.

Words of Wisdom
I did not think this would happen, and Would you ever have believed that this
would happen? But why not? is my reply.
Seneca, On the Tranquility of the Mind
Remember: you shouldnt be surprised that a fig tree produces figs, nor the
world what it produces. A good doctor isnt surprised when his patients have
fevers, or a helmsman when the wind blows against him.
The cucumber is bitter? Then throw it out. There are brambles in the path?
Then go around them. Thats all you need to know. Nothing more. Dont
demand to know why such things exist. Anyone who understands the world
will laugh at you, just as a carpenter would if you seemed shocked at finding
sawdust in his workshop, or a shoemaker at scraps of leather left over from
work.
But my nose is running! What do you have hands for, idiot, if not to wipe it?
But how is it right that there be running noses in the first place? Instead of
thinking up protests, wouldnt it be easier just to wipe your nose?

Technique 13
Conquer pain and sickness: suffering is

an opportunity for heroism.
When you face physical pain or sickness, do not allow yourself to be taken
over by weakness or self-pity. These self-indulgent responses will only
increase your suering.
Remember that your pain is an opportunity to test your own virtue and resolve,
and to inspire others with your strength and nobility. Few things instill courage
in others like the sight of someone bravely enduring that of which we all face
with equal risk.

Words of Wisdom
Either pain aects the body (which is the bodys problem) or it aects the soul.
But the soul can choose not to be aected, preserving its own serenity, its
own tranquillity. All our decisions, urges, desires, aversions lie within. No evil
can touch them.
Pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting if you bear in mind that it has its
limits, and if you add nothing to it in imagination.
Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will itself
chooses. Lameness is an impediment to the leg, but not to the will. And add
this reflection on the occasion of everything that happens; for you will find it
an impediment to something else, but not to yourself.
We should discipline ourselves in small things, and from there progress to

things of greater value. If you have a headache, practice not cursing. Dont
curse every time you have an earache. And Im not saying that you cant
complain, only dont complain with your whole being.

Technique 14
Remind yourself that all is familiar

nothing in life is foreign or new.
Its easy to consider the evils of the world as unparalleled in history. But such
things have gone unchanged since the beginning of time. Marcus Aurelius
and Seneca faced the same problems that confront us every day
dictatorships, war, natural disasters, disease, poverty, and greed.
In all that you experience, refrain from thoughts of fear or distress. Remember
everything has been seen before only the places, names and faces change.

Words of Wisdom
[Remember] that everything has always been the same, and keeps recurring,
and it makes no dierence whether you see the same things recur in a
hundred years or two hundred, or in an infinite period.
Everything that happens is as simple and familiar as the rose in spring, the fruit
in summer: disease, death, blasphemy, conspiracy everything that makes
stupid people happy or angry.
Evil: the same old thing. No matter what happens, keep this in mind: Its the
same old thing, from one end of the world to the other. It fills the history
books, ancient and modern, and the cities, and the houses too. Nothing new
at all.
The foolishness of people who are surprised by anything that happens. Like
travelers amazed at foreign customs.

Part 4
Love (and Endure) Humankind
Technique 15
Love humankind we are in

this together.
There is a common bond in our human existence. Do you know anyone who
hasnt suered the death of a loved one? How many people can say theyve
never succumbed to temptations of anger or lust?
We are more similar to one another than we allow ourselves to believe.

Remember this in every interaction.
When you engage with friends, family, colleagues or strangers, give them your
utmost respect and attention. Focus on the present moment you are sharing.
This will enhance the quality of your relationship, and heighten your love and
respect for others.

Words of Wisdom
We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of
teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at
someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions.
All mankind are stretching out their hands to you on every side. Lives that
have been ruined, lives that are on the way to ruin are appealing for some
help; it is to you that they look for hope and assistance.
You are wrong if you think anyone has been exempted from ill; the man who
has known happiness for many a year will receive his share some day;
whoever seems to have been set free from this has only been granted a delay.
Seneca, On Providence
When it comes to all were required to go through, were equals. No one is

more vulnerable than the next man, and no one can be more sure of his
surviving to the morrow.

Technique 16
Forgive the wrongs of others they

err because they do not know better.
You cannot control other peoples wrongful actions. All you can control is how
you react.
When people cause you harm, they are either aware or unaware. If they are
unaware, then dont let their ignorance bother you. If they are aware and their
act was purposeful, then realize they have a character flaw something that is
not your responsibility to solve.
As Marcus Aurelius muses in his Meditations, we can hold our breath until our
faces turn blue, yet people will never stop erring.

Words of Wisdom
[When someone does wrong:] Say to yourself each time, They did what they
believed was right.
When faced with peoples bad behavior, turn around and ask when you have
acted like that. When you saw money as a good, or pleasure, or social
position. Your anger will subside as soon as you recognize that they acted
under compulsion (what else could they do?).
To feel aection for people even when they make mistakes is uniquely human.
You can do it, if you simply recognize: that theyre human too, that they act out
of ignorance, against their will, and that youll both be dead before long. And,
above all, that they havent really hurt you. They havent diminished your
ability to choose.
If a man has reported to you, that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not
make any defense to what has been told you: but reply, the man did not know
the rest of my faults, for he would not have mentioned these only.
The best revenge is not to be like that.


Technique 17
Counter envy with reason satisfaction

can only be found within.
Our possessions end up owning us. For happiness resides within ourselves,
not in the hands of others.
Envying other peoples possessions and success will serve you no good. Only
you can create and realize your own satisfaction and happiness.
After all, even the things owned by those you envy will one day have to be
returned.

Words of Wisdom
[If you envy what you don't have:] Youll never be free free, independent,
imperturbable. Because youll always be envious and jealous, afraid that
people might come and take it all away from you.
Only an absolute fool values the man according to his clothes, or according to
his social position, which after all is only something that we wear like clothing.
People who need those things are bound to be a mess and bound to take
out their frustrations on the gods. Whereas to respect your own mind to
prize it will leave you satisfied with your own self.
Let us not envy those who stand on a higher station: what appeared as
heights are precipices [clis].

Technique 18
Inspire others through action

no one likes a lecture.
Lead with your actions. People take note of your behavior and the way you
face up to the challenges of life. Instead of instructing others how to navigate
the diculties of life, show them through silent action.
The Stoic philosopher Epictetus tells us we must act not as a sheep who
throws up her grass before digesting. Instead we should act as one who
digests her food, thus producing healthy wool and rich milk.
We are the average of the people we surround ourselves with, so also be sure
to choose wisely who you spend your time with. Your companions and their
actions shape you as much as you shape them.
photo by Eric Huybrechts

Words of Wisdom
In company take care not to speak much and excessively about your own acts
or dangers: for as it is pleasant to you to make mention of your dangers, it is
not so pleasant to others to hear what has happened to you.
On no occasion call yourself a philosopher, and do not speak much among the
uninstructed about theorems (philosophical rules, precepts): but do that which
follows from them. For example, at a banquet do not say how a man ought to
eat, but eat as you ought to eat.
Keep well out of the sun, then, so long as your principles are as pliant as wax.
Stop talking about what the good person is like, and just be one.
photo by Eric Huybrechts

Part 5
Act with Purpose
Technique 19
Remember your duty as a human

to live as your nature demands.
Do not ignore the basic needs of body food, shelter, and sleep. These are
critical elements to sustaining life. But beyond fulfilling these basic needs,
remember that as a human you have the gift of reason. Our nature demands
that we leverage our rational minds.
Use your reason to ensure your thoughts and actions are informed and
virtuous.
Remember that each day you are able to wake up and work towards the
betterment of others is a gift.

Words of Wisdom
At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go
to work as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if Im going to do
what I was born for the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this
what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?
How to act: Never under compulsion, out of selfishness, without forethought,

with misgivings. Dont gussy up your thoughts. No surplus of words or
unnecessary actions. Let the spirit in you represent a man, an adult, a citizen, a
Roman, a ruler. Taking up his post like a soldier and patiently awaiting his
recall from life. Needing no oath, or witness. Cheerfulness. Without requiring
other peoples help. Or serenity supplied by others. To stand up straight not
straightened.
Seneca, On the Happy Life
Choose someone whose way of life as well as words, and whose very face as
mirroring the character that lies behind it, have won your approval. Be always
pointing them out to yourself either as your guardian or as your mode. There
is a need, in my view, for someone as a standard which our characters can
measure themselves. Without a ruler to do it against you won't make the
crooked straight.

Technique 20
Make no random actions nature has

made no promise of tomorrow.
One of the certainties of life is that the next moment is never promised. Yet
most people spend their days wandering aimlessly, never reaching any
destination.
Keep focused on the present and the tasks at hand. If you have goals, direct
your every action towards achieving them. Make the best out of every
situation and opportunity you never know if youll have the chance to
continue your work tomorrow.
Use your awareness of death as a motivation in life, guiding you from each
moment to the next.
photo by Amphipolis

Words of Wisdom
Concentrate every minute on doing whats in front of you with precise and
genuine seriousness, tenderly, willingly, with justice. And on freeing yourself
from all other distractions You see how few things you have to do to live a
satisfying and reverent life?
People who labor all their lives but have no purpose to direct every thought
and impulse toward are wasting their time even when hard at work.
Even the smallest thing should be done with reference to an end.

No carelessness in your actions. No confusion in your words. No imprecision

in your thoughts.
What is the purpose of my labors going to be? See, this day's my last or
maybe it isn't, but it's not so far away from it.
Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take whats left and
live it properly.
photo by Amphipolis

Technique 21
Banish the nonessential pruning the

many makes the few strong.
Focus is an essential trait. The ability to cut through the extraneous and direct
your time and eort on those things that will have an impact on the world will
make you an unstoppable force.
Hone your skills to what time will allow you to master. Stop wasting your life on
trivial matters, and youll see how much more you will be able to accomplish.
In deciding where to direct our eort, Seneca reminds us that we must always
be capable of completing the task at hand stronger than the weight we
hope to carry.

Words of Wisdom
If you seek tranquillity, do less. Or (more accurately) do whats essential
what the reason of a social being requires, and in the requisite way. Which
brings a double satisfaction: to do less, better.
Straightforwardness and simplicity are in keeping with goodness. Even if you

had a large part of your life remaining before you, you would have to organize
it very economically to have enough for all the things that are necessary; as
things are, isn't it the height of folly to learn inessential things when time's so
desperately short!
Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, youll have
more time, and more tranquillity. Ask yourself at every moment, Is this
necessary? But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To
eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.
Measure your life: it just does not have room for so much.

Technique 22
Do not expect wealth and fame

let rewards be a pleasant surprise.
Do not expect great wealth and fame in life. Focus your attention on the work
and tasks at hand, realizing the outcome of such labor is not under your
control.
Is one person better than another only for the fact that they were rewarded by
circumstance? Let your work itself be the reward.
What is fame after all? Marcus Aurelius muses that the desire to be admired by
future generations is as foolish as hoping you will be admired by your own
great-grandfather. Do not expect fame instead work to help and enrich the
lives of those whose time here you share.

Words of Wisdom
Certain things do make a real contribution to the unending joy deriving from
virtue: the influence of wealth on the wise person, the joy it brings them, is like
a favorable wind that sweeps the sailor on his course, or a fine day and a
sunny spot amid the chill of winter.
The wise man does not consider himself unworthy of any gifts from Fortunes
hands: he does not love wealth but he would rather have it; he does not admit
it into his heart but into his home, and what wealth is his he does not reject but
keeps, wishing it to supply greater scope for him to practice his virtue.
Just as in a field which has been broken up for corn, some flowers grow here
and there, but it was not for these little plants, though they gladden the eye,
that so much work was undertaken the sower had a dierent purpose, and
this came as a bonus.
Good is the answer given by the person who when asked what was the
object of all the trouble he took over a piece of craftsmanship when it would
never reach more than a very few people replied: 'A few is enough for me; so
is one; and so is none.

Technique 23
Strive for moderation tranquility

resides in balance.
A life of balance is a life of peace and stability. In all of your thoughts and
actions, practice moderation seeking only the necessary, not the
extravagant.
Dress as one who respects humankind, neither in rags or extravagance. Eat to

fulfill your hunger, not to gorge on every crumb.
In attaining moderation, you will find yourself able to stand strong against the
blows of fate neither your possessions or virtues able to be toppled.

Words of Wisdom
Let us learn to increase our moderation, to restrain our extravagance, to
moderate our ambition, to quell our anger, to regard poverty without
prejudice, to practice thrift, to apply to natures wants cures that cost little, to
keep in chains, so to speak, hopes that are wild and a mind always fixed on
the future, and to make it our aim to seek riches, not from Fortune, but from
ourselves.
Your food should appease your hunger, your drink quench your thirst, your
clothing keep out the cold, your house be a protection against inclement
weather. It makes no dierence whether it is built of turf or of variegated
marble imported from another country: what you have to understand is that
thatch makes a person just as good a roof as gold does.
We should at least reduce the scale of our possessions, so that we may be

less exposed to the injustices of Fortune. In war, better service is done by men
whose bodies can be packed into their armor than by those whose bodies
spill over, leaving their very bulk everywhere a target for wounds.

Technique 24
Do not rest on the laurels of

the past always strive for truth.
In directing our actions and sculpting our views, we too often look blindly to
antiquity as our guide. Why do we put our trust and faith in those who have
come before us, and not ourselves?
Trust your ability to seek truth, seeing those who came before you as both
leaders and equals. Just because people have always acted in such a way
does not mean that it is the most virtuous path. Seneca was a great and
virtuous man yet he owned slaves. Does that mean that you should as well?
Revisit your past decisions and those of others, remembering that tomorrow
you may find that today you were wrong. Remember that you too will one day
be part of antiquity.
Remain humble. Retain your virtue and courage. Always search for the truth,
and perceive it clearly.
photo by Matt Neale

Words of Wisdom
If anyone can refute me show me Im making a mistake or looking at things
from the wrong perspective Ill gladly change. Its the truth Im after, and the
truth never harmed anyone. What harms us is to persist in self-deceit and
ignorance.
Remember that to change your mind and to accept correction are free acts
too. The action is yours, based on your own will, your own decision and your
own mind.
These people who never attain independence follow the views of their
predecessors, first, in matters in which everyone else without exception has
abandoned the older authority concerned, and secondly, in matters in which
investigations are still not complete. But no new findings will ever be made if
we rest content with the findings of the past.
The people who pioneered the old routes are leaders, not our masters. Truth
lies open to everyone. There has yet to be a monopoly of truth. And there is
plenty of it left for future generations too.
photo by Matt Neale

If you liked this book, please share it.
About the authors
William Boyce Sean OConnor

William is the founder of Sean is a product manager at
PocketStoic.com. He is an experienced PocketStoic.com. He is a blogger and
mobile product designer, and has led writer on stoicism. He has worked in
eorts in growing both early-stage and EdTech, building products to help
established companies. students love learning.
About PocketStoic
PocketStoic is a new Stoicism app coming to iOS and Android.
Packed with ancient Stoic wisdom, techniques, daily journalism, a

customizable bookshelf, and an extensive academy, PocketStoic
allows you to take this timeless Greco-Roman wisdom with you
everywhere they go.
Learn more at PocketStoic.com

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The Art

Part 1: Master Your Perception

Part 2: Fortify Your Mind

Part 3: Conquer Adversity

Part 4: Love (and Endure) Humankind

Part 5: Act with Purpose

Stoicism, a Greco-Roman philosophy founded by Zeno in the 3rd century BCE,

It is a philosophy that we can use to increase our happiness, productivity,

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 5

Do not be fooled by impressions:

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 7

Things stand outside of us, by themselves, neither knowing anything of

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 8

Focus on what is in your control:

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 9

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 10

Welcome all that happens with a

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 11

Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 12

Contemplate the scale of your life

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 13

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 14

Visualize negative outcomes, and

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 16

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 17

Train for hardship, and no situation

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 18

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 19

Practice living with little:

There is power in simplicity.

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 20

Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 21

Consider external things borrowed,

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 22

Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let it go.

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 23

Reflect on the nature of death

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 24

I never ceased to find comfort in cheerful and courageous reflections. 'What's

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 25

Turn adversity into an advantage

Only by facing up to hardship can we strengthen our resolve.

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Balance your perspective: contrast

photo by Atibordee Kongprepan

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photo by Atibordee Kongprepan

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 30

Do not blame events for your

When you find yourself frustrated, instead of blaming people or outside

Remember that every disappointment or frustration is a result of your own

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 31

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Conquer pain and sickness: suffering is

pocketstoic.com The Art of Stoic Perception 33

We should discipline ourselves in small things, and from there progress to

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Remind yourself that all is familiar

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