AN

INTRODUCTION
TO STOICISM
D ay 3: T h e Sto i c Art of
J ou r n a l i n g

D A I L Y S T O I C . C O M
 pictetus the slave. Marcus Aurelius the
E emperor. Seneca the power broker and
playwright. These three radically different men led
radically different lives. But they seemed to have one
habit in common: Journaling.
In one form or another, each of them did it. It
would be Epictetus who would admonish his students
that philosophy was something they should “write
down day by day,” that this writing was how they
“should exercise themselves.” Seneca’s favorite time to
journal was in the evenings. When darkness had fallen
and his wife had gone asleep, he explained to a friend, “I
examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve done

DA I LYSTO I C .C O M 1
and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing nothing
by.” Then he would go to bed, finding that “the sleep
which follows this self-examination” was particularly
sweet. And Marcus, he was the most prodigious of
journalers, and we are lucky enough that his writings
survive to us, appropriately titled, Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν, Ta eis
heauton, or “to himself.”
They were not the only ones to practice the habit
of writing. Foucault observed of this era of history, all
the great minds practiced it.
“In this period there was a culture of what could
be called personal writing: taking notes on the reading,
conversations, and reflections that one hears or engages
in oneself; keeping kinds of notebooks on important
subjects (what the Greeks called hupomnemata), which
must be reread from time to time so as to re-actualize
their contents.”
And of course, many people—Stoic or otherwise—
have fallen in love with and dedicated themselves to
morning or evening journaling in the centuries since.
And for good reason—it works. It clarifies the mind,
provides room for quiet, private reflection and gives
one a record of their thoughts over time.
But in Stoicism the art of journaling is more than
that, more than some simple diary. This daily practice
is the philosophy. Preparing for the day ahead. Reflecting
on the day that has passed. Reminding oneself of the

2 DA I LYSTO I C .C O M
wisdom we have learned from our teachers, from our
reading, from our own experiences. It’s not enough to
simply hear these lessons once, instead, one practices
them over and over again, turns them over in their mind,
and most importantly, writes them down and feels them
flowing through their fingers in doing so.
In this way, journaling is Stoicism. It’s almost
impossible to have one without the other.
So if you’re not doing it, please start! Whatever
form you find is most conducive for you is the one to do
it in. Some like to write or jot notes down on paper. Some
like to pull up an empty document on their computer
and record thoughts. But it is the process that counts.
And its value compounds over time. One cannot
expect wisdom and self-mastery to simply arrive via
epiphany. No, those states are acquired, little by little,
practice by practice. The sooner you start, the better.
We recently created The Daily Stoic Journal for this
very reason. We hope you give it a try and hope you
appreciate the design and the many features we’ve built
into it (and the 52 new meditations included in it). But
at the risk of spoiling the basic premise, we’ll give you
the Stoic recipe for journaling right here right now:
1. Prepare For The Day Ahead: Each morning
you should prepare, plan and meditate on how you aim
to act that day. You should be envisioning everything

DA I LYSTO I C .C O M 3
that may come and steeling yourself so you’re ready to
conquer it. As Seneca wrote, “The wise will start each
day with the thought, ‘Fortune gives us nothing which
we can really own.’” Or think of Marcus’s reminder:
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The
people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful,
arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly. They are like this
because they can’t tell good from evil.”
2. Put The Day Up For Review: Stoicism isn’t
just about thinking, it’s about action—and the best way
to improve is to review. Each evening you should, like
Seneca did, examine your day and your actions. As he
put it, “When the light has been removed and my wife
has fallen silent, aware of this habit that’s now mine,
I examine my entire day and go back over what I’ve
done and said, hiding nothing from myself, passing
nothing by.” The question should be: Did I follow my
plans for the day? Was I prepared enough? What could
I do better? What have I learned that will help me
tomorrow?

4 DA I LYSTO I C .C O M