If I had to summarize Stoicism in one sentence, it’d be that a Stoic believes they don’t control the world around them, only how they respond.

Some of the ancient Stoic philosophers call this ‘living in accordance with nature.’

But if you want something a little shorter, you an always say Armor Fati, which is a Latin phrase for “love of fate.”

It all comes down to accepting whatever happens and not succumbing to the anxiety that comes with it.

I’m not saying you need to look at every bit of suffering and loss as good, but at the very least you should view it as necessary.

To help cope with this, the Stoics relied on what’s called the Cardinal Virtues. It’s a type of ethical system broken up into four parts:

1. Wisdom

2. Temperance

3. Courage

4. Justice

Now there’s some Stoics who say each virtue is equally balanced with the other. That each one is just as important as the next.

But then there’s others—cough cough Marcus Aurelius—who tend to value one particular virtue over the others.

Marcus Aurelius calls it, the “crowning glory of the virtues.”

Aka, Justice.

Justice is all about looking toward the welfare of other people. To always be helping others and setting an example for those around you even if it comes at an inconvenience to you.

To just do the right thing.

Personally, I think they all weigh pretty evenly, but I do believe there should be one virtue you should focus on more at different stages of your life depending on where you are.

For example, if you’re in the process of trying to find a new job, you might want to focus on courage as it’s all about taking action where you might feel fear.

Or if you’re anxious about something, it might be helpful to lean back on wisdom as it’s about the knowledge of knowing what you can change, and what you can’t.

And if you’re someone who struggles with discipline, temperance might be your best friend as it’s all about self-control.

For me—at least right now—temperance is what I’m focusing on more.

It’s not just self-control, it’s also patience, balance, harmony, and avoiding too much of a bad thing.

For you it might be wisdom. And that’s okay, because Stoicism is all about mastering oneself. No one is going to have the same path to mastery as the next person.

So next time you’re met with a challenge, think about which virtue it falls under.

Give yourself a moment to respond with wisdom, temperance, justice, or courage.

Yeah, it might take an extra minute of your day.

But you’d be surprised at how much your perspective can change when you respond with intention, rather than misconception.

You owe it to yourself.

Until next time,
Isaiah Taylor

Dive Deeper

What I’m Currently Reading: I’m now reading Stoicism And The Art Of Happiness by Donald Robertson, a breakdown of the ethics and ideals of Stoic philosophy.

Quote Of The Week: “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” — Gandhi