Frippisms 3
Discipline is a vehicle for joy.
A Stoic Breviary: Classical Wisdom in Daily Practice
Building upon many years of privately shared thoughts on the real benefits of Stoic Philosophy, Liam Milburn eventually published a selection of Stoic passages that had helped him to live well. They were accompanied by some of his own personal reflections. This blog hopes to continue his mission of encouraging the wisdom of Stoicism in the exercise of everyday life. All the reflections are taken from his notes, from late 1992 to early 2017.
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Perfect Words
Michael Leunig 87
Frippisms 2
Heaven and earth share the same space.
Come with Me . . .
Michael Leunig 86
Frippisms 1
Over the years, I have developed a deep admiration for Robert Fripp. Casual listeners may know him as the force behind King Crimson, and dedicated musicians may know him for the founding of Guitar Craft. I admit that his recordings sounded like noise to me at first, and his words once seemed a bit too pretentious for my taste. My estimation slowly changed as I slowly changed. I have only seen King…
Epictetus, Discourses 2.15.1
Chapter 15: On those who cling stubbornly to their judgments. There are some who when they hear these precepts—that a man must be steadfast, and that the will is by nature a free thing and not subject to compulsion, whereas all else is subject to hindrance and compulsion, being in bondage and dependence—imagine that they must abide without swerving by every judgement that they have formed.…
Sayings of Ramakrishna 289, 290
A learned Brahman once went over to a wise king and said, "Hear, O king, I am well versed in the holy scriptures. I intend to teach you the holy book of the Bhâgavata." The king, who was the wiser of the two, well knew that a man who has read the Bhâgavata would seek more to know his own Self than honor and wealth in a king's court. He replied, "I see, O Brahman, that you yourself have not…
Xenophon, Memorabilia of Socrates 47
Once when someone was in a fury of indignation because he had bidden a passerby good day and the salutation was not returned, Socrates said: "It is enough to make one laugh! If you met a man in a wretched condition of body, you would not fall into a rage; but because you stumble upon a poor soul somewhat boorishly disposed, you feel annoyed." To the remark of another who complained that he did not…
The Continence of Scipio 16
David Allan, The Continence of Scipio (1774)
Epictetus, Discourses 2.14.7
Does no one govern it? How can that be? A city or a household cannot endure even for a brief span of time without one to govern and take charge of it, and can this great and noble frame of things be administered in such good order by mere random chance? There is, then, One who governs it. What is His nature and how does He govern? And we, what are we, His creations, and to what work are we born?…
Snippets from the Handbook 3
Aiming then at these high matters, you must remember that to attain them requires more than ordinary effort; you will have to give up some things entirely, and put off others for the moment. And if you would have these also—office and wealth—it may be that you will fail to get them, just because your desire is set on the former, and you will certainly fail to attain those things which alone bring…