Stoicism is not a philosophy to read about. It is a philosophy to practice. Marcus Aurelius wrote the Meditations as a daily exercise — a way of training his mind each morning and evening. Epictetus structured his teaching around practical exercises: examining impressions, rehearsing difficulties, distinguishing what is up to us from what is not. Here is what their practice looked like, drawn directly from the texts.
What the Stoics Said
Wash yourself clean. With simplicity, with humility, with indifference to everything but right and wrong.
Care for other human beings. Follow God.
Meditations 7.31
Nature did not blend things so inextricably that you can’t draw your own boundaries—place your own well-being in your own hands. It’s quite possible to be a good man without anyone realizing it. Remember that.
And this too: you don’t need much to live happily. And just because you’ve abandoned your hopes of becoming a great thinker or scientist, don’t give up on attaining freedom, achieving humility, serving others, obeying God.
Meditations 7.67
Another encouragement to humility: you can’t claim to have lived your life as a philosopher—not even your whole adulthood. You can see for yourself how far you are from philosophy. And so can many others. You’re tainted. It’s not so easy now—to have a reputation as a philosopher. And your position is an obstacle as well.
So you know how things stand. Now forget what they think of you. Be satisfied if you can live the rest of your life, however short, as your nature demands. Focus on that, and don’t let anything distract you. You’ve wandered all over and finally realized that you never found what you were after: how to live. Not in syllogisms, not in money, or fame, or self-indulgence. Nowhere.
—Then where is it to be found?
In doing what human nature requires.
—How?
Through first principles. Which should govern your intentions and your actions.
—What principles?
Those to do with good and evil. That nothing is good except what leads to fairness, and self-control, and courage, and free will. And nothing bad except what does the opposite.
Meditations 8.1
Love the discipline you know, and let it support you. Entrust everything willingly to the gods, and then make your way through life—no one’s master and no one’s slave.
Meditations 4.31
Character and self-control.
Meditations 1.1
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. But I have seen the beauty of good, and the ugliness of evil, and have recognized that the wrongdoer has a nature related to my own—not of the same blood or birth, but the same mind, and possessing a share of the divine. And so none of them can hurt me. No one can implicate me in ugliness. Nor can I feel angry at my relative, or hate him. We were born to work together like feet, hands, and eyes, like the two rows of teeth, upper and lower. To obstruct each other is unnatural. To feel anger at someone, to turn your back on him: these are obstructions.
Meditations 2.1
If you’ve immersed yourself in the principles of truth, the briefest, most random reminder is enough to dispel all fear and pain:
… leaves that the wind
Drives earthward; such are the generations of men.
Your children, leaves.
Leaves applauding loyally and heaping praise upon you, or turning around and calling down curses, sneering and mocking from a safe distance.
A glorious reputation handed down by leaves.
All of these “spring up in springtime”—and the wind blows them all away. And the tree puts forth others to replace them.
None of us have much time. And yet you act as if things were eternal—the way you fear and long for them….
Before long, darkness. And whoever buries you mourned in their turn.
Meditations 10.34
The first thing a pretender to philosophy must do is get rid of their presuppositions; a person is not going to undertake to learn anything that they think they already know. [2] We come to the study of philosophy rattling off what should and should not be done, what’s good, what’s bad, and what’s disgraceful. On this basis, we are quite prepared to pass out praise, blame, censure, or condemnation, subtly distinguishing good habits from bad.
Discourses 2.17.1
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I start practicing Stoicism?
Start where Epictetus starts: with the dichotomy of control. Each morning, remind yourself what is within your power (your judgments, your choices, your effort) and what is not (other people’s behavior, external outcomes, the past). Marcus Aurelius began every day by anticipating difficulties — he would tell himself that he would encounter ungrateful, arrogant, and dishonest people, and prepare his response in advance. You can begin with just two minutes of morning reflection: what is within my control today, and what do I need to let go of?
How can I apply Stoicism daily?
Marcus Aurelius applied Stoicism by writing in his journal every day — that is literally what the Meditations are. You can follow the same practice: write briefly each morning about how you intend to respond to the day’s challenges, and each evening about what went well and what you could improve. Throughout the day, practice Epictetus’s core exercise: when something disturbs you, pause and ask whether the disturbance comes from the event or from your judgment about it. Apply the dichotomy of control to every frustration, and you are already practicing Stoicism.
What are the Stoic exercises?
The main Stoic exercises drawn from the texts are: (1) morning preparation — Marcus Aurelius rehearses difficulties before they arise so they do not catch him off guard; (2) evening review — reflecting on the day’s actions and judgments; (3) negative visualization (premeditatio malorum) — briefly imagining loss or hardship to cultivate gratitude and resilience; (4) examining impressions — Epictetus’s practice of questioning every initial reaction before accepting it; (5) the view from above — imagining your life from a cosmic perspective to reduce the weight of trivial concerns; and (6) the dichotomy of control — continuously sorting what is up to you from what is not.
What was Marcus Aurelius’s daily routine?
Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations give us a window into his routine. He wrote early in the morning, often reminding himself of the kind of people he would encounter and the virtues he would need. He reflected on impermanence, duty, and gratitude. Throughout the day, as emperor, he dealt with governance, legal disputes, and military decisions — always returning to Stoic principles to keep himself steady. The Meditations are essentially his evening and morning journal, a practice of self-examination that he used to align his actions with his philosophy.
What is Stoic journaling?
Stoic journaling is the practice of writing to examine your thoughts, judgments, and actions — exactly as Marcus Aurelius did in the Meditations. It is not diary-keeping. It is self-examination. A typical entry might ask: What disturbed me today? Was my reaction proportionate? Did I focus on what I could control? Epictetus encouraged his students to review their day each evening, noting where they succeeded and where they fell short. The goal is not self-criticism but honest self-awareness — catching bad judgments before they become habits.
How do beginners practice Stoicism?
Beginners should start with three simple practices. First, read one passage from the Meditations or Enchiridion each morning and sit with it for a moment. Second, practice the dichotomy of control throughout the day: whenever you feel frustrated or anxious, ask yourself whether the thing bothering you is within your power to change. Third, do a brief evening reflection — three minutes reviewing what went well and where you reacted poorly. These are not modern inventions; they are exactly the practices that Epictetus assigned to his students and that Marcus Aurelius performed daily.