May

6th
RIGHTEOUSNESS IS BEAUTIFUL

“Then what makes a beautiful human being? Isn’t it the presence of human excellence? Young
friend, if you wish to be beautiful, then work diligently at human excellence. And what is that?
Observe those whom you praise without prejudice. The just or the unjust? The just. The even-
tempered or the undisciplined? The even-tempered. The self-controlled or the uncontrolled?
The self-controlled. In making yourself that kind of person, you will become beautiful—but to
the extent you ignore these qualities, you’ll be ugly, even if you use every trick in the book to
appear beautiful.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.1.6b–9

C ontemporary notions of beauty are ridiculous. Our standards for what’s attractive are incredibly un-
Stoic in that we prize and extol things people have almost no control over—high cheekbones,
complexion, height, piercing eyes.
Is it really beautiful to win the genetic lottery? Or should beauty be contingent on the choices, actions,
and attributes we develop? An even keel, a sense of justice, a commitment to duty. These are beautiful
traits—and they go much deeper than appearances.
Today, you can choose to be without prejudice, to act with justice, to keep an even keel, to be in
control of yourself—even when that means dedication and sacrifice. If that’s not beautiful, what is?
 May 7th
HOW TO HAVE A GOOD DAY

“God laid down this law, saying: if you want some good, get it from yourself.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 1.29.4

H ere is how to guarantee you have a good day: do good things.

Any other source of joy is outside your control or is nonrenewable. But this one is all you, all the
time, and unending. It is the ultimate form of self-reliance.
 May 8th
GOOD AND EVIL? LOOK AT YOUR CHOICES

“Where is Good? In our reasoned choices. Where is Evil? In our reasoned choices. Where is that
which is neither Good nor Evil? In the things outside of our own reasoned choice.”
—EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.16.1

T oday, as things happen and you find yourself wondering what they all mean—as you find yourself
contemplating various decisions, remember: the right thing to do always comes from our reasoned
choice. Not whether something is rewarded. Not whether something will succeed, but whether it is the
right choice.
Epictetus’s dictum helps us cut through all this with clarity and confidence. Is something good or bad?
Is this right or wrong?
Ignore everything else. Focus only on your choices.
 May 9th
CARPE DIEM

“Let us therefore set out whole-heartedly, leaving aside our many distractions and exert ourselves
in this single purpose, before we realize too late the swift and unstoppable flight of time and are
left behind. As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all, and make it your own
possession. We must seize what flees.”
—SENECA, M ORAL LETTERS, 108.27b–28a

Y ou will only get one shot at today. You have only twenty-four hours with which to take it. And then it
is gone and lost forever. Will you fully inhabit all of today? Will you call out, “I’ve got this,” and do
your very best to be your very best?
What will you manage to make of today before it slips from your fingers and becomes the past? When
someone asks you what you did yesterday, do you really want the answer to be “nothing”?
 May 10th
DON’T BE INSPIRED, BE INSPIRATIONAL

“Let us also produce some bold act of our own—and join the ranks of the most emulated.”
—SENECA, M ORAL LETTERS, 98.13b

I t was common in Greek and Roman times, just as it is now, for politicians to pander to their audience.
They would lavish effusive praise on the crowd, on their country, on inspiring military victories of the
past. How many times have you heard a political candidate say, “This is the greatest country in the history
of the world”? As orator Demosthenes pointed out, we’ll gladly sit for hours to hear a speaker who stands
in front of some famous or sacred landmark, “praising [our] ancestors, describing their exploits and
enumerating their trophies.”
But what does this flattery accomplish? Nothing. Worse, the admiration of shiny accolades distracts us
from their true purpose. Also, as Demosthenes explains, it betrays the very ancestors who inspire us. He
concluded his speech to the Athenian people with words that Seneca would later echo and still resounds
centuries later. “Reflect, then,” he said, “that your ancestors set up those trophies, not that you may gaze at
them in wonder, but that you may also imitate the virtues of the men who set them up.”
The same goes for the quotes in this book and for other inspiring words you might hear. Don’t just
admire them. Use them. Follow their example.