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10 Pillars of Stoic Strength

Building a Life of Purpose and Peace

Patrick Karsh
3 min readFeb 27, 2024

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Stoicism, an ancient philosophy with roots in 3rd century BC Greece, offers a timeless guide for navigating life’s complexities with resilience and wisdom. While concise in its core principles, mastering Stoicism requires consistent effort and introspection. Here, we explore 10 key principles that form the foundation of this enduring philosophy:

Dichotomy of Control

Stoicism emphasizes understanding the difference between what we can and cannot control. External events, actions of others, and even our physical bodies lie outside our direct control. However, we hold complete power over our thoughts, interpretations, and reactions. By focusing on this internal sphere, Stoics believe we can cultivate agency and minimize unnecessary suffering caused by external circumstances.

Stoic Resilience

Life inevitably throws challenges our way. Stoicism encourages building resilience in the face of adversity. This doesn’t mean suppressing emotions; instead, it emphasizes accepting what’s beyond our control and focusing on our response. By practicing techniques like negative visualization (envisioning potential setbacks) and acknowledging the impermanence of all things, Stoics aim to develop mental strength and navigate…

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Patrick Karsh
Patrick Karsh

Written by Patrick Karsh

NYC-based Ruby on Rails and Javascript Engineer leveraging AI to explore Engineering. https://linktr.ee/patrickkarsh

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