Stoic Reflections: Quotes That Shaped My Day
Today I read Stoic quotes to prepare videos for my YouTube channel. I grouped them by author—Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca—and wrote a short reflection for each. These aren’t just words. They’re tools I used to shape my thoughts, reactions, and rhythm.
🧠 Marcus Aurelius
- “You have power over your mind—not outside events.”
I reminded myself: I can’t fix everything, but I can choose how I respond. I’ll do my best where I can, and what I can’t control—I’ll let go.
- “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”
There is still a day. But I sit at my Mum’s desk, who recently passed, and I think: she was my brightest star. I’m so grateful she was my wonderful, most lovable Mum, who taught me so much. Thank you, Mum.
- “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
I caught myself spiraling into worry. I chose better thoughts.
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself.”
A quiet walk to the shop, a warm tea, my Mum’s books. Simplicity is enough.
- “Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together.”
Fate often knows better than I do. Luckily, my husband was my fate. Twenty-nine years, two kids, and my cancer battle later—I love him even more. Me from Europe, him from East Asia. It wasn’t easy, but our love was unbreakable.
- “Reject your sense of injury, and the injury itself disappears.”
I let go of the story around a hurt. The pain faded.
- “Perfection of character: to live each day as if it were your last, without frenzy, without apathy, without pretense.”
No rush, no pretending. Just presence.
- “Enjoy the present without anxious dependence on the future.”
I stopped planning and started living. But I can afford it; I have a fantastic husband.
- “Constantly regard the universe as one living being.”
Even in silence, I’m part of something vast.
🎓 Epictetus
- “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
I paused instead of snapping. Or stayed quiet instead of saying something silly. I admit—it’s not easy, especially as a woman. But that felt like strength.
- “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
I didn’t justify my calm—I just lived it. My husband calls me Xanti, from Xanthippe, and says that without her, Socrates wouldn’t exist.
- “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
Wanting less felt like freedom. Luckily, I’m a middle-aged grumpy woman now—and they can’t tempt me with much more.
- “Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.”
I chose silence. I kept my peace—and my power.
- “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
I shaped my actions around who I wanted to be. Not every plan was successful, but there was always a plan B. After my illness, I’m first and foremost grateful to be a wife and a mother. The rest is just noise.
- “No man is free who is not master of himself.”
Freedom starts with discipline. Sometimes I lack it. What about you?
🌿 Seneca
- “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
I stepped out of the story my mind was telling. It wasn’t easy.
- “Begin at once to live, and count each day as a separate life.”
After my cancer operation, I stopped waiting. Today is enough.
- “Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.”
Gratitude lifted me.
- “Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”
It’s easy with friends. With family? Not always successful.
- “The greatest remedy for anger is delay.”
A few breaths softened my tone—and the moment. Illness made me quiet. I don’t have the strength to waste energy on anger. Instead, I prefer to create, knit, write a blog, or send an old-fashioned letter to someone I like.
- “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
I chose direction before chasing momentum.
- “It is not that we have so little time but that we lose so much.”
I returned to purpose. Oh yes—especially after surviving advanced cancer.
- “No man is crushed by misfortune unless he has first been deceived by prosperity.”
Hardship is part of life. But I still wish everyone, including myself, to be spoiled by fortune.
- “A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver.”
The heart behind the act matters most. But sometimes—I just want a flower.
- “See how many are better off than you are, but consider how many are worse.”
How many? I don’t know. I don’t accept the challenge. I don’t like to judge. Only God knows.
→ I walk without comparison. I choose compassion over counting. I trust that grace flows where it’s needed most.
Comments
Post a Comment