Ryan Holiday, The 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Anything that must yet be done, virtue can do with courage and promptness. For anyone would call it a sign of foolishness for one to undertake a task with a lazy and begrudging spirit, or to push the body in one direction and the mind in another, to be torn apart by wildly divergent impulses. — Seneca, Moral Letters, 31b-32
Ryan Holiday, The 366 Meditations on Wisdom, Perseverance, and the Art of Living
Indeed, no one can thwart the purposes of your mind- for they can't be touched by fire, steel, tyranny, slander, or anything. ~Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, 8.41
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them.15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more.17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more.18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
For its disgraceful for an old person or one in sight of old age, to have only the knowledge carried in their notebooks. Zeno said this... what do you say? Cleanthes said that... what do you say? How long will you be compelled by the claims of another? Take charge and stake your own claim- something posterity will carry in its notebook.
Whenever you get an impression of some pleasure, as with any impression guard yourself from being carried away by it, let it await your action, give yourself a pause. After that, bring to mind both times, first when you have enjoyed the pleasure and later when you will regret it and hate yourself. Then compare to those the joy and satisfaction you'd feel for abstaining altogether. However, if a seemingly appropriate time arises to act on it, don't be overcome by its comfort, pleasantness, and allure- but against all of this, how much better the consciousness of conquering it
—Epictetus, Enchiridion,34(resource) Ryan Holiday, The Daily Stoic: 366 Meditations on Wisdom
