Author

Stephen Hanselman

16 key ideas across 2 books, each explained in our own words.

Lives of the Stoics

IDEA 1
Stoicism began with a shipwreck
Holiday and Hanselman tell how Zeno, a merchant, lost his cargo in a shipwreck and ended up in Athens, where he discovered philosophy. He went on to found Stoicism, teaching in a painted porch that gave the school its name.
IDEA 2
Cleanthes worked hard for philosophy
Cleanthes, Zeno's successor, is described as a former boxer who carried water at night to pay for his studies by day. His story shows Stoicism as a philosophy for working people, not only the wealthy.
IDEA 3
Chrysippus built the system
The authors describe Chrysippus as the thinker who organised Stoic ideas into a full system of logic, ethics and physics. Without his work, they suggest, Stoicism might not have survived as a school.

IDEA 1
A year of daily Stoic reflections
Holiday and Hanselman arrange the book as one short meditation for each day of the year. Each page pairs a passage from an ancient Stoic with a modern explanation, encouraging a small daily practice rather than one long read.
IDEA 2
Three disciplines organise the year
The book is divided into three parts based on Stoic disciplines: perception, how we see things; action, what we do; and will, how we handle what we cannot change. Each month focuses on one related theme.
IDEA 3
Focus on what you control
A central Stoic idea is the dichotomy of control: some things, like our judgments and choices, are up to us, while others are not. The authors argue that peace comes from focusing energy on what we can control.

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