Stoic Virtues

Cultivating virtuous habits is the key to long-term happiness and fulfillment...

“We have separated this perfect virtue into its several parts. The desires had to be reined in, fear to be suppressed, proper actions to be arranged, debts to be paid; we therefore included self-restraint, bravery, prudence, and justice – assigning to each quality its special function. How then have we formed the conception of virtue? Virtue has been manifested to us by this man's order, propriety, steadfastness, absolute harmony of action, and a greatness of soul that rises superior to everything. Thence has been derived our conception of the happy life, which flows along with a steady course, completely under its own control.”

- Seneca, Moral Letters to Lucilius

Virtues describe those attributes of behavior that I seek to cultivate in myself, both to become a better person and to work to make the world a better place while I can. Trying to live that virtuous life can be a challenge, while living a life of vice is easy—that alone is a signal to me of what is proper behavior. When I find myself tempted to take the easy path, I know I need to examine both the path and my motivation to ensure that I am making the virtuous choice.

I will live the virtue of self-restraint by reminding myself that my desires will lead me astray if I let them, by remembering the words of Seneca that vices can masquerade as virtues—especially pride—and to the extent that I do indulge my emotions, to always try to remember the maxim of “restraint in all things."

I will live the virtue of courage by acting when action is called for and restraining myself when it is not. It is not courage to take foolish risks, act without thought, or take risks with the intent of reward or recognition. How obvious is that lesson based on recent events in the news?

Courage comes from overcoming my fear of harm to my physical or emotional self and taking the actions that I believe are correct, regardless of whether anyone is ever aware of them. Also, I will remember that what is called courage today is in Latin "fortitudo," and that true courage is endurance and fortitude against adversity without complaint.

I will live the virtue of temperance by thinking before I act, considering not only the immediate results of my actions but also their derivatives. Again, another virtue in seriously short supply these days.

I will remember that wisdom comes from acknowledging that what I don’t know is even more important than what I think I do, and that all knowledge is at best a poor language for describing reality—it is not reality itself. I will try to be skeptical of all claims until proven and be open to changing my views as valid evidence arises that causes me to reconsider my beliefs.

I will live the virtue of justice by remembering that the core meaning of justice is fairness and the settlement of debts, not a blind adherence to rules or laws. Stoic justice, at its heart, is about the golden rule; thus, I will seek just solutions in all my interactions with others and will remember that legalistic justice has been and continues to be perverted into a means of enslaving others.

I believe that true happiness comes from living a virtuous life—not from health, prosperity, fortune, or any other external condition. In other words, my happiness comes from what I do to help myself and others, not from what I have, and as such, is always under my control.