Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism. In this week's Stoic Quotes episode, we look at Epictetus, Discourses, Book 4, Chapter 4, recorded by Arrian. He writes:

“But it is a much finer thing to be happy, to have a peaceful and undisturbed mind, to have what concerns you depend on nobody but yourself.”

At first glance, this can sound like withdrawal from the world, but Epictetus is pointing to something more demanding. He is reminding us that the moment we tie our happiness to externals, whether comfort, leisure, approval, or even quiet, we become dependent and easily disturbed. Stoic happiness is not about arranging perfect conditions, but about cultivating inner steadiness through right judgment. In modern terms, peace comes not from controlling life, but from aligning our desires with what is truly up to us.

This teaching echoes through Stoicism, from Marcus Aurelius’ emphasis on inner rule to Seneca’s insistence that freedom begins with self-command. It touches all three Stoic disciplines: Desire, by letting go of attachments to externals; Assent, by examining the judgments that create disturbance; and Action, by choosing what accords with reason and virtue, even when it feels uncomfortable. Practically, this means learning to remain composed when plans fail, choosing values over convenience, and finding contentment in acting well rather than feeling comfortable.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on Stoic inner peace and solitude:
https://viastoica.com/10-marcus-aurelius-quotes-on-being-alone/
And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
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https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes
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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this episode, we explore what it really means to build a strong relationship, not from modern ideals of romance or constant happiness, but from a Stoic understanding of character, responsibility, and shared life. Relationships matter deeply in everyday life, yet they often become a source of anxiety, pressure, and confusion. The Stoics approached them differently, seeing relationships not as a solution to personal emptiness, but as a field in which virtue is practiced.

At the core of this episode is a simple but demanding insight: strong relationships begin with a strong relationship to oneself. Before seeking completion in another, Stoicism asks us to cultivate self-knowledge, balance, and inner stability. From that foundation, relationships become places of cooperation rather than dependency, growth rather than possession.

Marcus Aurelius captures this clearly when he writes:
“People exist for one another; you can instruct them, or endure them.”
Meditations, Book 8.59

For the Stoics, this wasn’t about ideal harmony or avoiding conflict, but about understanding our role toward others. When Marcus Aurelius writes this, he isn’t being cynical, but reminding us that relationships are part of our nature as social beings. They call us to act with patience, fairness, and care, even when it is difficult.

The episode also draws on Stoic reflections on friendship, marriage, and attachment, including insights from Seneca and Epictetus, showing that lasting relationships are grounded in virtue rather than pleasure, status, or fear of loss.

Here are a few Stoic practices from this episode you can explore in your own life:

• Strengthen your inner foundation – Work on self-knowledge and balance before seeking fulfillment through another person.

• Practice relationships as cooperation – Replace winning arguments with understanding and shared responsibility.

• Examine judgments in conflict – Pause before reacting and question the story you are telling yourself about the other person.

• Hold relationships with gratitude, not fear – Remember that others are mortal and changeable, and let this deepen appreciation rather than anxiety.

In a time when relationships are often idealized or feared, Stoicism offers a grounded alternative. It helps us approach love, friendship, and partnership with clarity, realism, and care. By the end of this episode, you’ll see that Stoicism isn’t a cold philosophy of detachment, but a way of building relationships that are honest, resilient, and rooted in virtue.

Listen to the full episode now and discover how Stoic wisdom can transform the way you relate to others and to yourself.

Read the companion article: [insert link if available]

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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

This is another Stoic Quotes edition, where we reflect on a single passage and its meaning for everyday life. In this episode, we turn to Marcus Aurelius and a note from Meditations 10.37:

“Learn to ask of all actions, ‘Why are they doing that?’ Starting with your own.”

In another translation, he adds:

“What is his point of reference here? But begin with yourself.”

Marcus is reminding himself that frustration often comes from rushed judgments. We often assume that others act to inconvenience or offend us when, in reality, they are guided by their own pressures, habits, and priorities. The Stoic task is to pause and question the story we tell ourselves, while first turning that same scrutiny inward. Have I acted like this before, and why?

This short reflection connects directly to the Stoic disciplines of Assent and Action. We cannot control what others do, but we can examine our judgments and choose a response rooted in patience rather than impulse. Practiced consistently, this habit softens irritation, reduces conflict, and helps us meet daily interactions with more understanding and restraint.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on dealing with frustrating people:
https://viastoica.com/how-to-deal-with-frustrating-people/
And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes
Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.
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Produced by: badmic.com

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this episode, we explore why New Year’s can feel strangely heavy, even when it’s meant to be a celebration. For many people, it becomes a moment of judgment, comparison, and pressure, a symbolic “turning point” that makes unfinished business feel louder than usual. The Stoics offer a calmer way to approach it, not as a magical reset, but as another chance to live with clarity, intention, and steadiness.

At the center of this episode is a simple Stoic shift: measure your year by your character, not your outcomes. We often evaluate ourselves by externals, achievements, money, status, habits, even health, yet so much of that is never fully up to us. For the Stoics, this wasn’t about lowering ambition, but about grounding self-worth in what truly belongs to you: how you think, choose, and act.

Epictetus captures this clearly when he reminds us:
“Some things are up to us and some are not.”
Epictetus, Handbook 1

For the Stoics, this wasn’t about becoming passive, but about becoming precise. When Epictetus writes this, he isn’t telling us to stop striving, but reminding us to stop attaching our peace to results we cannot command. New Year’s intentions become healthier when they focus on the inner work, boundaries, honesty, courage, and daily discipline, rather than a single dramatic change on January 1st.

Here are a few Stoic practices from this episode you can explore in your own life:

• A yearly review of character – Ask, “Did I act well this year?” rather than “Did I win?” Look for progress in patience, integrity, and self-control.

• Set intentions, not fantasies – Replace rigid resolutions with small commitments you can practice daily, even when motivation fades.

• Detach from comparison – Notice the impulse to measure your year against others, and return to what you actually know: your own choices.

• Accept the past, begin again – Let last year be a teacher, not a verdict. Drop regret, take the lesson, and continue.

New Year’s can be a useful mirror, but it doesn’t need to become a courtroom. Stoicism helps you step into the next year with less pressure and more direction, grounded in what you control and softened toward what you don’t. By the end of this episode, you’ll see that Stoicism isn’t a cold philosophy of detachment, but a way of living wisely, steadily, and with quiet confidence, one day at a time.

Listen to the full episode now and discover how New Year’s reflection can transform the way you think, act, and see your life.

Read the companion article: [insert link if available]

Support the show
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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this Stoic Quotes edition, we reflect on Seneca’s On Anger, Book III, where he reports Aristotle’s concern that, without anger, the mind becomes

“indifferent to great endeavors.”
Seneca, Dialogues and Essays, On Anger, 3

Seneca introduces this idea to question it. For the Stoics, anger is not a source of strength but a disturbance of reason. It clouds judgment and pulls us away from deliberate, ethical action. The greatest endeavor is not an external achievement, but the cultivation of character. Virtue does not need anger to motivate it.

This view runs throughout Stoic philosophy. Epictetus urges us to examine impressions before giving assent, and Marcus Aurelius reminds himself to act without bitterness. Through the three Stoic disciplines, anger reflects misplaced desire, unexamined assent, and impulsive action.

In practice, this means noticing anger early, pausing before reacting, and questioning the judgments behind it. Calm commitment to virtue proves far more powerful than anger ever could.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on anger and self-control:
https://viastoica.com/10-seneca-quotes-on-anger/

And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes

Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.
Support the show
https://viastoica.com
https://viastoica.com/stoic-life-coaching
https://viastoica.com/benny-voncken
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Produced by: https://badmic.com

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.
In this episode, we explore a theme that quietly weighs on many people during this time of year: navigating the holidays alone. While the holiday season is often portrayed as a time of togetherness, joy, and celebration, it can also amplify feelings of loneliness, pressure, and comparison. The Stoics approached these moments differently, not by denying the difficulty, but by understanding it through reason, acceptance, and self-knowledge.

At the heart of this episode is the Stoic distinction between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness arises when our desires and expectations clash with reality, when we believe something essential is missing. Solitude, by contrast, is a state of inner steadiness, a calm connection with oneself that does not depend on external circumstances.

Seneca captures this beautifully when he writes:
“…we say the wise man is self-content; he is so in the sense that he is able to do without friends, not that he desires to do without them.”
Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 9

For the Stoics, this wasn’t about rejecting relationships or becoming emotionally distant, but about grounding our well-being in what truly belongs to us: our judgments, values, and character. When Seneca speaks of self-contentment, he isn’t praising isolation, but reminding us that inner stability is the foundation for meaningful connection, not its opposite.

Here are a few Stoic practices from this episode you can explore in your own life:

• Examining desires – Notice where your expectations about the holidays come from, and whether they are reasonable or imposed by social pressure.

• Reframing impressions – When thoughts of “I shouldn’t be alone” arise, pause and question the judgment behind them.

• Practicing solitude – Use time alone for reflection, rest, and reconnection with your values, rather than distraction.

• Voluntary withdrawal from comparison – Step back from social media when it fuels restlessness or self-judgment.

This episode gently reframes the holidays as an opportunity for honesty and presence. By applying the Stoic view, moments of solitude can become moments of clarity, grounding, and even quiet joy. Stoicism shows us that peace does not come from having life look a certain way, but from learning to meet life as it is, with reason and kindness toward ourselves.

Listen to the full episode now and discover how navigating the holidays alone can transform the way you think, act, and relate to yourself.

Support the show🌐 viastoica.com🎯 viastoica.com/stoic-life-coaching👤 viastoica.com/benny-voncken▶️ YouTube: @viastoica
📧 info@viastoica.com

🎙️ Produced by: badmic.com

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this Stoic Quotes episode, we turn to Epictetus and one of the most important passages from the Handbook (Enchiridion), 1. Epictetus writes:

“Practice then from the start to say to every harsh impression, ‘You are an impression and not at all the things you appear to be.’ Then examine it and test it by these rules … whether it has to do with the things which are up to us or with the things which are not. And if it has to do with the things which are not up to us, be ready to reply, ‘It is nothing to me.’”

This quote points to a core Stoic insight: events themselves do not disturb us, but the judgments we add to them do. Impressions arise automatically, but we always have the capacity to pause, examine them, and decide whether they concern what is truly up to us. This is where Stoic freedom begins.

The same idea appears throughout Stoic philosophy. Marcus Aurelius urges us to remove opinion from events, while Seneca warns how unchecked impressions quickly turn into destructive emotions. Through the disciplines of Desire, Assent, and Action, the Stoics teach us to release attachment to externals, question our immediate reactions, and act from virtue rather than impulse.

In practice, this means learning to pause when something unsettling happens, asking whether it lies within your control, and letting go of value judgments where it does not. What remains is the freedom to respond well, no matter the circumstances.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on control:
https://viastoica.com/10-epictetus-quotes-on-control/
And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes
Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.
Support the show
https://viastoica.com
https://viastoica.com/stoic-life-coaching
https://viastoica.com/benny-voncken
https://x.com/ViaStoica
info@viastoica.com
Produced by: badmic.com

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism

In this episode of The Via Stoica Podcast, I sit down with Eric Weiner, celebrated author, philosophical traveler, and former NPR foreign correspondent, to explore how philosophy, travel, and character shape a meaningful life. Known for The Socrates Express and The Geography of Bliss, Eric brings a mix of humor, honesty, and depth to the conversation.

We dive into the wisdom behind The Socrates Express, the surprising modern relevance of ancient philosophers, and why Stoic ideas continue to resonate today. Eric also shares insights from Ben and Me, his exploration of Benjamin Franklin’s habits, virtues, and practical philosophy for living well.

Whether you’re into Stoicism, philosophy, or simply searching for grounded guidance in daily life, this conversation offers clear, practical takeaways. If you enjoy the episode, rate, review, and subscribe, and read our full review of The Socrates Express: https://viastoica.com/the-socrates-express/Support the show

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