Introduction

Welcome to Your Continued Journey in Stoic Practice

Congratulations on completing Stoic Week! Having experienced that initial taste of ancient wisdom applied to modern life, you may find yourself wanting to go deeper into this transformative philosophy. This packet is designed specifically for practitioners like you who are ready to move beyond introduction and into sustained, systematic study and practice of Stoicism as a way of life.

Drawing on the recommendations of modern Stoics John Sellars and Massimo Pigliucci, this resource provides you with a comprehensive nine-module curriculum that follows the ancient approach to philosophical education.

You’ll cycle through three complementary types of study: biographical role models who inspire through their lived examples, theoretical works that deepen your understanding of Stoic principles, and practical texts that guide your daily application.

Alongside this structured reading program, you’ll find a collection of “spiritual exercises” rooted in ancient Greco-Roman practices—from attention and meditation techniques to active practices of self-mastery and intellectual inquiry. The goal isn’t merely academic knowledge, but what the ancient philosophers called askesis: the disciplined practice that transforms how you think, feel, and act in the world.

As Pierre Hadot reminds us, this is about “a conversion which turns our entire life upside down,” leading you toward greater self-consciousness, inner peace, and authentic freedom. Whether you proceed at your own pace or gather with fellow practitioners, this curriculum offers a roadmap for making Stoicism not just something you studied during a week, but a lifelong path of flourishing.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Curriculum

In his highly recommended The Art of Living: The Stoics on the Nature and Function of Philosophy, John Sellars, suggests that the ancient curriculum for ethical self-improvement included three types of text:

(1) Literature concerned with action: for instance Xenophon’s Memorabilia and Diogenes Laertius’s The Lives of the Eminent Philosophers.

(2) Literature concerned with theory: like the above mentioned Nicomachean Ethics, or Seneca’s On Anger.

(3) Literature concerned with practice: such as Epictetus’s Handbook, or Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations.

As John puts it, “In later antiquity it was often suggested that philosophical education should begin with the study of a philosopher’s life. … The student should next study arguments and doctrines before finally moving on to engage in exercises designed to digest those arguments and doctrines. The final goal is of course to transform one’s life into one similar to those studied at the very outset.”

Massimo Pigliucci, has put together a suggested curriculum of study to facilitate what John describes and the ancients recommended. The full description of the curriculum can be found in chapter 8 of Massimo’s The Quest for Character: What the Story of Socrates and Alcibiades Teaches Us about Our Search for Good Leaders. Here are the highlights:

Proceed in sequence from one module to the next, at whatever pace is comfortable for you, so long as your readings are consistent and not just occasional. Take notes in a separate diary about your thoughts concerning each entry. Feel free to switch back and forth between the biographical, theoretical, and practical modules without skipping too far ahead (e.g., alternate Modules I, II, and III but finish this group before you move to IV, V, and VI). Start a philosophical journal of ethical self-improvement. In the journal, reflect not just on the content of your readings but also on what it means to you, and especially on how it should affect your behavior in everyday life as well as your overall view of your life trajectory. If possible, discuss your progress with friends or fellow practitioners of the art of living.

Module I—Biographical role models, 1. Diogenes Laertius, The Lives of the Eminent Philosophers (translation by Pamela Mensch). Diogenes Laertius is arguably our most comprehensive source on the lives and thought of the preeminent ancient philosophers in the Western tradition. Remember, these are intended to be moral biographies. Diogenes’s accounts are valuable because of how the lives he writes about may inspire us. He is not always careful with the biographical details, which is not atypical of ancient writers who did not necessarily share our contemporary notion of factual accuracy. Sometimes you may find that Diogenes even gets some philosophical principles wrong. But the point is to open one of his chapters and read for inspiration and direction. How did others live? What choices did they make? How do the questions asked in these texts relate to questions we face in our modern lives?

We especially recommend the sections on Socrates, Aristippus, Plato, Aristotle, Diogenes of Sinope, Hipparchia, Zeno of Citium, Cleanthes, Heraclitus, Zeno of Elea, and Epicurus.

Module II—Theory, 1. Epictetus, Discourses (translation by Robin Waterfield). This is a compilation of short speeches by the Stoic philosopher Epictetus as well as conversations he had with his students. It was put together by Arrian of Nicomedia, one of Epictetus’s most prominent students, and it gives us an excellent feel for both Stoic philosophy and Epictetus’s dynamic personality. Unfortunately, only four of the original eight “books” survive, but the wealth of material and the span of topics is breathtaking. It helps that each section comes with a descriptive title, which can guide the reader interested in specific applications.

Here are some of our favorites: “Of the things which are under our control and not under our control” (I.1), “Of the use of equivocal premisses, hypothetical arguments and the like” (I.7), “Of family affection” (I.11), “That the art of reasoning is indispensable” (I.17), “That we ought not to be angry with the erring” (I.18), “How ought we to bear ourselves toward tyrants?” (I.19), “Of our preconceptions” (I.22), “In answer to Epicurus” (I.23), “How should we struggle against difficulties?” (I.24), “On tranquillity” (II.2), “To the man who had once been caught in adultery” (II.4), “What is the true nature of the good?” (II.8), “What is the beginning of philosophy?” (II.11), “Of anxiety” (II.13), “Of friendship” (II.22), “How is logic necessary?” (II.25), “Of personal adornment” (III.1), “How ought we to bear our illness?” (III.10), “Of training” (III.12), “That one should enter cautiously into social intercourse” (III.16), “On the calling of a Cynic” (III.22), “To those who read and discuss for the purpose of display” (III.23), “That we ought not to yearn for the things that are not under our control” (III.24), “To those who fear want” (III.26), “Of freedom” (IV.1), “Of social intercourse” (IV.2), “What things should be exchanged for what things?” (IV.3), “Against the contentious and brutal” (IV.5), “Of freedom from fear” (IV.7), “Of cleanliness” (IV.11), and “Of attention” (IV.12).

Module III—Practice, 1. Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (translation by Robin Waterfield). This famous book was actually not meant for publication, as it was the emperor’s personal philosophical diary. Philosophical journaling is a fundamental technique for Stoic practice, the efficacy of which has been confirmed by modern cognitive behavioral therapy. You could use Marcus’s words as both an inspiration and a broad template. You will see that he writes in the second person, as if he were addressing a friend. This approach, according to contemporary psychologists, has the advantage of helping to put some emotional distance between you and the life episodes you are describing so that an analytical approach comes more easily. Note that the Meditations don’t have any particular structure, as you would expect in a diary. They are also somewhat repetitive and “preachy,” again as you would expect given that this was the personal journal of someone who was chiding himself in order to make progress. The glaring exception is “book” I, which is really an extended exercise in gratitude, where Marcus lists the major people who influenced him in his life and elaborates on what they taught him. Gratitude exercises are another standard tool in the Stoic toolbox and are also practiced within other philosophical traditions.

Module IV—Biographical role models, 2. Xenophon, Memorabilia (translation by Amy L. Bonnette). Much of what we know about Socrates’s philosophy comes from Plato. But Xenophon’s Memorabilia tells us a lot more about Socrates the man. In reading it, we get a vivid sense of what the philosopher’s day must have been like, how he interacted with other people, and what his concerns were. We also find an interesting defense of Socrates by one of his close friends. This is the book that, in a way, got Stoicism started, as it was the Memorabilia that turned Zeno of Citium, the founder of the Stoa, to philosophy.

Module V—Theory, 2. Seneca, On Anger (translation by Robert A. Kaster and Martha C. Nussbaum). Although this book may appear to be narrowly focused, as its main topic is a particular instance of what the Stoics referred to as unhealthy emotions, that is, emotions that go against reason, it is one of the most important surviving Stoic texts. By discussing anger, Seneca gives us a broad overview of how the Stoics treated emotions in general, contrasting the unhealthy ones (anger, fear, hatred, and so on) with the healthy ones (love, joy, a sense of justice, and so forth). It also includes a sophisticated description of the nature and stages of anger as well as practical advice on anger management that is still pretty much what is recommended by the American Psychological Association. And it’s beautifully written.

Module VI—Practice, 2. Epictetus, Enchiridion, the short manual for a good life (translation by Robin Waterfield). These fifty-three short sections were compiled by Arrian of Nicomedia, Epictetus’s student, to summarize the Discourses and therefore the fundamentals of Epictetus’s philosophy. They provide clear guidance for actual behavior following Stoic precepts, and the book is supposed to be used as a vade mecum (carry-with-you), to be consulted when needed. Massimo published an update of the Enchiridion for the twenty-first century titled A Field Guide to a Happy Life: 53 Brief Lessons for Living. You may want to add it to your module and draw cross-comparisons with Epictetus’s original.

Module VII—Biographical role models, 3. Plutarch, Parallel Lives (translation by Bernadotte Perrin). This classic is not just about philosophers, and certainly not specifically about Stoicism. Indeed, Plutarch was a prominent critic of the Stoics. But his parallel portraits of famous people from antiquity are meant to be the quintessential guide to spotting good and bad moral behavior. To make the task easier, Plutarch often even directly compares the members of each pair to each other after having summarized their individual lives.

Particularly noteworthy are Solon and Publicola, Themistocles and Camillus, Pericles and Fabius Maximus, Alcibiades and Coriolanus, Lysander and Sulla, Nicias and Crassus, Agesilaus and Pompey, Alexander and Caesar, Phocion and Cato the Younger, Demosthenes and Cicero, and Dion and Brutus.

Module VIII—Theory, 3. Seneca, Letters to Lucilius (translation by Margaret Graver and A. A. Long). These 124 letters from Seneca to his friend Lucilius are described by classicist Liz Gloyn as an informal curriculum in Stoic philosophy. Seneca cyclically revisits a number of themes, becoming increasingly in-depth in their treatment.

Some of our favorites are “On saving time” (1), “On true and false friendship” (3), “On the terrors of death” (4), “On crowds” (7), “On old age” (12), “On philosophy and riches” (17), “On festivals and fasting” (18), “On practicing what you preach” (20), “On travel as a cure for discontent” (28), “On the value of retirement” (36), “On master and slave” (47), “On the shortness of life” (49), “On choosing our teachers” (52), “On asthma and death” (54), “On quiet and study” (56), “On pleasure and joy” (59), “On grief for lost friends” (63), “On ill-health and endurance of suffering” (67), “On the proper time to slip the cable” (70), “On business as the enemy of philosophy” (72), “On the rewards of scientific discovery” (79), “On benefits” (81), “On some vain syllogisms” (85), “On the happy life” (92), “On the quality, as contrasted with the length, of life” (93), “On the usefulness of basic principles” (95), “On the fickleness of fortune” (98), “On the futility of planning ahead” (101), “On true and false riches” (110), “On the vanity of mental gymnastics” (111), “On style as a mirror of character” (114), “On self-control” (116), “On the conflict between pleasure and virtue” (123), and “On the true good as attained by reason” (124).

Module IX—Practice, 3. A Handbook for New Stoics, coauthored by Massimo Pigliucci and Greg Lopez. It is a rather unique book among modern offerings because it is highly focused on philosophical practice. It contains fifty-two exercises, grouped according to the three standard disciplines outlined by Epictetus: desire and aversion (about how to reorganize our priorities in life), action (how to act in the world, particularly with regard to other people), and assent (how to sharpen our faculty of judgment). Each exercise is culled from the ancient Stoic literature and updated with the latest from psychology and cognitive science.

Exercises

Stoicism is a practical philosophy. Though the theory is important (otherwise, it wouldn’t be a philosophy), it’s the practice that really matters. This page will guide you through a series of “spiritual” exercises that will improve your Stoic practice.

The term we’ll use here is “spiritual exercises,” which is perhaps most famously linked to Ignatius of Loyola, the 16th century founder of the Jesuit sect. His Exercitia Spiritualia, composed between 1522 and 1524, are a set of Christian meditations, including prayers and contemplation exercises. But Ignatius was by far not the first one in the western tradition to come up with such practices. In fact, he got the idea from the early Church Fathers, who in turn got it from the Hellenistic philosophers. (Outside the western canon the most obvious example of this sort of thing are the various kinds of Buddhist meditation.)

It is clear why these are called “spiritual” exercises if we are talking about Christianity (or Judaism, or Islam, each of which has its own version). But what if I am an agnostic, atheist, or otherwise secular Stoic, or Skeptic, or Epicurean? Pierre Hadot, the man who first drew attention to these techniques in modern times, writes in his Philosophy as a Way of Life:

“‘Spiritual exercises.’ The expression is a bit disconcerting for the contem­porary reader. In the first place, it is no longer quite fashionable these days to use the word ‘spiritual.’ It is nevertheless necessary to use this term, I believe, because none of the other adjectives we could use — ‘psychic,’ ‘moral,’ ‘ethical,’ ‘intellectual,’ ‘of thought,’ ‘of the soul’ — covers all the aspects of reality we want to describe. … The word ‘spiritual’ is quite apt to make us understand that these exercises are the result, not merely of thought, but of the individual’s entire psychism. Above all, the word ‘spiritual’ reveals the true dimensions of these exercises. By means of them, the individual raises himself up to the life of the objective Spirit; that is to say, he re-places himself within the perspective of the Whole.” (p. 82)

 

Whether you like the term or not, you may wonder what is the exact point of these exercises. That depends on the philosophy you are practicing. If it is Christianity, the goal is to get you closer to God. If you follow Stoicism, Platonism, or most of the other Hellenistic schools, the goal is to make you into the best human being you can be. Virtue, after all, comes from the Greek arete, which just means excellence.

But how does one “exercise,” spiritually speaking? You will find a number of modern versions of these practices, especially in the context of contemporary Stoicism. Cognitive behavioral therapist Donald Robertson, for instance, describes a number of them in his Stoicism and the Art of Happiness: Practical Wisdom for Everyday Life. Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez, compiled 52 exercises, updated on the basis of findings from modern cognitive science.

However, here we want to go back to the source, so to speak, and look at how the ancient Greco-Romans themselves practiced philosophy. It turns out that, although there are plenty of references to individual exercises in Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Plutarch, and others [1], there is only one known source that provides us with a (not necessarily exhaustive) list of ancient exercises for our askesis, a word that later came to indicate asceticism, but originally just meant spiritual practice. Well, two sources, to be precise: two lists provided to us courtesy of Philo of Alexandria, an Hellenistic Jew who lived between 20 BCE and 50 CE (which means he overlapped with Seneca). The lists are found in “Who is the Heir of Divine Things” (at 253) and in “Allegorical Interpretation” (at III.18).

The two lists overlap somewhat but not entirely, and they are discussed in details by Pierre Hadot (Philosophy as a Way of Life, ch. 3, pp. 84–86). Following Hadot’s suggestion, we grouped them into three types: reflective exercises, active exercises, and intellectual exercises. Here they are, each accompanied by a brief explanation. Some of the English words are followed by the corresponding Greek word, when the latter is known enough that I thought it may be helpful.

Reflective exercises

Attention (prosoche): continuous vigilance and presence of mind; paying attention to what is and is not up to you (i.e., Epictetus’s fundamental rule); concentration on the present moment; helps you to free yourself from the passions (i.e., unhealthy emotions), caused by regret of the past or worry for the future (neither of which is up to you). [2]

Meditations: keep handy formulae or arguments you can repeat to yourself in difficult circumstances and reflect on them; morning premeditation on what might happen during the day and how you are to react to it; evening recollection and analysis of how you have acted; the idea is to attempt to control your inner discourse and to render it coherent; can be a dialogue with oneself, with others, or a written exercise.

Remembrance of good things: engage in exercises of gratitude for the good things and people in your life (e.g., book I of Marcus Aurelius’ Meditations).

Active exercises

Self-mastery (enkrateia): practice temperance in all aspects of your behavior, for instance drinking, eating, speaking, etc.

Therapy of the passions: remind yourself that externals (health, wealth, reputation, career, etc.) are only as good (or bad) as your actions make them; do not get attached to them; change your point of view from one dominated by your passions to a universal perspective; abstain from labeling things and events, describe them instead objectively, as they are in themselves; reflect on the impermanence of things.

Accomplishment of duties: with respect to family, friends, society at large.

Intellectual exercises

Listening: engage with other people, ideally in a Socratic manner.

Reading: peruse the sayings of various philosophers; practice explaining philosophical texts.

Inquiry (skepsis): understand how the world works to the best of your abilities; remind yourself of your place in it. [3]

The “reflective” exercises are meant first and foremost to make us mindful of the present and indifferent to both past and future. That’s because the first, but not the latter two, is “up to us” as Epictetus puts it (Enchiridion I.1). We are also trying to prepare for the challenges of the day and then to learn from how we have handled them. Finally, we engage in an exercise in thankfulness, to remind ourselves what good we have in life, regardless of the setbacks we may experience.

The “active” exercises are opportunities to practice what we have been meditating on and studying theoretically. These exercises focus on temperance, which both Plato and Musonius Rufus (Epictetus’s teacher) thought was the most important of the cardinal virtues (it’s also crucial for Confucius); remind us that we have duties toward others; help us to think of externals (so-called “indifferents”) as being only as good (or bad) as our use of them; and train us to be less emotional and judgmental when it comes to things, events, and people.

Finally, the “intellectual” exercises are theoretical practices aimed at honing our skills at reading, listening, and learning about the world. If we are trying to practice philosophy we need to know what it is that we are practicing (reading); we want to engage in Socratic dialogue with others so that we gather external checks on how well we are doing; and we want to study (not necessarily at a high, academic level) science, history, and philosophy, because understanding how the world works and how to think about it is helpful in trying to live a good life.

We hope the above summary will be a useful companion in your daily practice. As Hadot explains:

“[In the view of the Hellenistic philosophers] philosophy did not consist in teaching an abstract theory — much less in the exegesis of texts — but rather in the art of living. It is a concrete attitude and determinate life­ style, which engages the whole of existence. The philosophical act is not situated merely on the cognitive level, but on that of the self and of being. It is a progress which causes us to be more fully, and makes us better. It is a conversion which turns our entire life upside down, changing the life of the person who goes through it. It raises the individual from an inauthentic condition of life, darkened by unconsciousness and harassed by worry, to an authentic state of life, in which s/he attains self-consciousness, an exact vision of the world, inner peace, and freedom.”(Philosophy as a Way of Life, p. 83)

 

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[1] If you are interested in Hellenistic spiritual exercises, see the following by Plutarch: On Restraining Anger, On Peace of Mind, On Brotherly Love, On the Love of Children, On Garrulity, On the Love of Wealth, On False Shame, On Envy and Hatred; and the following by Seneca: On Anger, On Benefits, On Peace of Mind, On Leisure. And, of course, the whole of Marcus Aurelius’Meditations.

[2] On prosoche see this essay.

[3] Here Philo uses two terms, zetesis (research) and skepsis (investigation), which technically indicate two distinct exercises, but even Hadot groups them together because it isn’t exactly clear, practically speaking, what the difference is between research and investigation. We adopted the more comprehensive term “inquiry” to cover both.