The hottest Stoicism Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
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Top Health & Wellness Topics

A well-lived life means wasting some time

Wondering Freely • 1468 implied HN points • 08 Oct 24
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. It's okay to waste some time in life. Taking things slow can actually help you enjoy life more than just rushing through every moment.
  2. Living life to the fullest doesn't mean doing everything on a checklist. Sometimes, just relaxing and being yourself is more fulfilling.
  3. Feeling guilty for not being constantly productive is normal, but learning to rest and take breaks is important for your happiness.

Why solitude isn't optional

The Stoic Journal • 223 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Solitude lets you think without performing, so your thoughts can be honest and unfinished.
  2. Private practices like journaling and morning reflection are essential for self-knowledge and real progress.
  3. Real solitude means uninterrupted aloneness (no phones or watchers), and it’s a necessity, not a luxury.

The Day Everything Changed

The Stoic Journal • 76 implied HN points • 15 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Philosophical conversion is a sudden, total reorientation of values that makes your previous life and priorities feel hollow and strange.
  2. When real conversion happens, philosophy isn't just self-help or a hobby — it becomes the main guiding principle that reshapes everything you care about.
  3. Most people only tweak or optimize their existing beliefs instead of letting philosophy destroy and rebuild their identity, which is why few become true philosophers.

When Power Corrupts Before It's Even Yours

The Stoic Journal • 55 implied HN points • 14 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Power and privilege can make people act cruelly even before they officially hold authority, treating others as obstacles or entertainment.
  2. Change is possible; your worst moments don’t define you, they just mark where you start and you can choose to grow.
  3. Real leadership means using power responsibly and caring for others instead of using them for amusement or advantage.
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The Obstacle Becomes the Path

The Stoic Journal • 81 implied HN points • 05 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Obstacles aren’t just roadblocks but the path itself, so use whatever comes up as the real practice you need right now.
  2. You always have a choice: you can rage at the interruption or adapt like water and find a new way to act and grow.
  3. Different obstacles train different virtues—when one practice is blocked, practice acceptance, patience, or temperance instead, because training never stops.

Your Inner Citadel

The Stoic Journal • 66 implied HN points • 07 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. You have an inner citadel — a part of you that decides what events mean, and it remains yours no matter what happens outside.
  2. Other people can hurt your job, money, reputation, or feelings, but they can’t force your interpretation or control how you respond.
  3. Choosing how to interpret hard experiences isn’t denial; it’s exercising calm, personal freedom and deciding what you’ll do next instead of letting others dictate your state.

Everything Is Judgment

The Stoic Journal • 50 implied HN points • 12 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Your feelings about an event come from the story or judgment you add, not from the event itself.
  2. External things are neutral; you can choose to interpret them as hostile, careless, or meaningless, and that choice changes how you react.
  3. You have control over your judgment, so you can reframe situations to protect your peace — this doesn’t excuse bad behavior, but it does let you decide how to respond.

Morning as Training Ground

The Stoic Journal • 60 implied HN points • 08 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Use the morning as a deliberate practice: aim to think clearly, act fairly, and accept what’s beyond your control.
  2. Treat everyday annoyances—commute delays, difficult people, missed deadlines—as chances to train patience, gentleness, and persistence.
  3. Look for what will go wrong because those moments build your character; choose to face the day ready to get stronger instead of complaining.

The Hard Bed Test

The Stoic Journal • 40 implied HN points • 13 Feb 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Deliberately choosing small discomforts builds mental strength and resilience.
  2. Relying on constant conveniences makes you softer and more fragile when things go wrong.
  3. Removing nonessential comforts tests your limits and increases freedom by showing what you can truly live without.

The voice that isn't yours

The Stoic Journal • 76 implied HN points • 29 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Small humiliations feel huge when you zoom in too close, so step back to stop tiny things from taking over your whole day.
  2. Use a long-term or cosmic perspective — our planet and lives are very small and most worries won’t matter in the big picture.
  3. After you zoom out, return to the problem and you’ll often find it fits in your hand and is much more manageable.

The thing you're clinging to

The Stoic Journal • 96 implied HN points • 21 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Nothing you love is truly yours. Everything you have was given for a time and can be taken away.
  2. Clinging tightly won’t stop loss and only keeps you from receiving what’s next.
  3. Practice holding things lightly so you can stay present and love new gifts; your ability to love is the only thing that truly belongs to you.

On things happening "to" you

The Stoic Journal • 66 implied HN points • 28 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Seeing events as happening with you instead of to you turns you from a passive victim into an active participant in your life.
  2. Life’s challenges are not random mistakes but are matched to your capacity and growth, so they fit your path even when they cause pain.
  3. That shift moves you from asking “why me?” which leads nowhere, to asking “what now?” which opens up choices and action toward growth.

Virtue is in between vices

Austin Kleon • 3656 implied HN points • 16 May 23
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Virtue exists in the middle of two extremes, which are known as vices. This means finding a balance between too little and too much of a certain quality.
  2. This idea, known as the Doctrine of the Mean, suggests that we need to navigate between deficiency and excess to discover virtue.
  3. Many thinkers, like Aristotle and Confucius, have discussed this concept, showing that it has been an important part of ethical discussions through history.

On gentleness

The Stoic Journal • 60 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Announcing your gentleness makes it performative and signals a subtle superiority.
  2. Real gentleness is effortless and shows naturally in your voice and eyes; it comes from being the kind of person who doesn’t have to try.
  3. To be genuinely gentle, change what you believe about others — assume they’re doing their best and that mistakes come from limited perspective, not malice.

What if virtue came naturally?

The Stoic Journal • 60 implied HN points • 22 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. People often admire those who seem naturally good and worry that their own goodness looks forced.
  2. Others only see the result, not the inner struggle, so hard-won virtue looks the same as effortless virtue to them.
  3. The real achievement is continuing to do the work anyway, even without recognition. Persistence and the will to keep trying are themselves a kind of gift.

Marcus Aurelius VS Diogenes

Classical Wisdom • 1788 implied HN points • 24 Apr 23
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Stoicism and Cynicism share the goal of achieving happiness through living in accordance with nature, but differ in how they view societal expectations and material possessions.
  2. Stoics like Marcus Aurelius valued harmonious living with others and some luxuries, while Cynics like Diogenes prioritized individual freedom and rejected wealth and excess.
  3. The Stoics refined Cynic philosophy into a more widely accepted practice, promoting virtue and wisdom as essential for a fulfilling life.

Impossible to Possible

thestoa • 786 implied HN points • 06 Jan 24
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Three popular strategies to respond to the sense of impossibility: self-help, psychotherapeutic, and spiritual.
  2. Beware of bypassing - engaging in good behavior in an escapist way to avoid facing real challenges.
  3. Consider the Stoic Response: do the right thing even if it feels impossible, lacks recognition, or is painful.

Five questions that will change your life

Figs in Winter: New Stoicism and beyond • 805 implied HN points • 06 Mar 23
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Death is a universal human preoccupation, but certain arguments and perspectives can help alleviate the fear of death.
  2. Handling pain and grief requires acknowledging and accepting the inevitability of suffering and loss, while finding ways to endure and grow from these experiences.
  3. Emotions can be challenged or encouraged based on their alignment with reason, and developing emotional resilience involves cognitive evaluation and management.

Mixing Mental Arts

Polymathic Being • 56 implied HN points • 21 Dec 25
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Slowicism blends Stoicism and Taoism: tame your emotions with reframing and use Wu Wei, or intentional non-action, to stop automatic reactions.
  2. Slowing down and refusing to react to every outrage or piece of information clears space to think more deeply and prevents cascading bad outcomes.
  3. You need steady practice because these habits build flow, restore your agency, and create compounding improvements that make life calmer and more effective.

The view from above

The Stoic Journal • 15 implied HN points • 26 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Imagining a 'view from above'—zooming out until your problems look tiny—makes urgent feelings fade.
  2. This perspective doesn't fix the situation, but it helps you right-size problems and stay calmer and clearer.
  3. You are both a small speck in the world and a mind that can hold the whole picture, and remembering that duality lets you change how you feel even when things stay the same.

The subtle art of not giving a f*ck

A Bit Gamey • 13 implied HN points • 25 Jan 26
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. You already care about too many things; the solution is subtraction—choose a few priorities and ignore the rest so your actions have real impact.
  2. Recognize you're not uniquely entitled to success; accepting ordinariness lets you stop complaining and commit to the hard work that matters.
  3. Take responsibility for your responses, set boundaries by saying no, admit when you don't know, and use the reality of death to sharpen what you care about.

Duff Love

Ladyparts • 399 implied HN points • 12 Apr 23
🏥 Health & Wellness Stoicism
  1. Karen Duffy finds strength, comfort, gratitude, and love in the wisdom of the Stoics despite battling chronic pain
  2. Karen Duffy, also known as 'Duff', is described as one of the strongest, most resilient, and funny women by the author
  3. For those who grew up in the MTV era, Karen Duffy was considered the cool, it girl and a muse

Is Gladiator Stoic?

Caleb’s Newsletter • 137 implied HN points • 18 Nov 23
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. The movie Gladiator raises the question of whether it embodies Stoic principles.
  2. Maximus's pursuit of revenge in Gladiator is seen as being non-Stoic due to his intense passion and anger.
  3. The character of Maximus in Gladiator eventually evolves to embody more Stoic values, moving from a place of rage to fulfilling his duty.

Just Don't Be Stupid

Polymathic Being • 65 implied HN points • 29 Jun 25
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Inversion is about looking at problems from a different angle to avoid mistakes. Instead of just chasing success, think about what could go wrong and how to prevent it.
  2. Applying inversion helps in both technology and psychology by allowing us to see potential failures. This way, we can develop better solutions and reduce fear of the unknown.
  3. A key part of inversion is acknowledging negative outcomes. By thinking about what we dread and planning for it, we can manage life's ups and downs better.

What I've Been Reading | June 2023

Caleb’s Newsletter • 98 implied HN points • 01 Jul 23
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. The book 'Learning to Live Naturally' by Chris Gill explores Stoic philosophy and the importance of virtue ethics.
  2. Confucius's 'Analects' is a profound work that provides valuable insights into life and human behavior.
  3. Both Stoicism and Confucianism emphasize the importance of moral virtue and living in harmony with nature.

Finding Stoicism

Polymathic Being • 75 implied HN points • 23 Feb 25
đź“– Philosophy Stoicism
  1. Stoicism is about understanding and managing emotions, not suppressing them. It's important to feel and appreciate our emotions rather than act like they don't matter.
  2. Many people struggle with anxiety because they lack challenges in life, feel pressured to blame others, and often ignore their own ability to take control. Stoicism helps address these issues by teaching personal responsibility.
  3. To practice Stoicism, focus on yourself, take ownership of your actions, and avoid getting distracted by others' problems. By doing this, you can find balance and improve your mental well-being.