The four pillars of Stoicism
Stoicism is one of the oldest ancient philosophies. Founded by Zeno of Citium, it teaches how to live a virtuous life and follow the Logos—the cosmic order.
Recently, Stoicism has been gaining popularity thanks to the likes of William Irvine and Ryan Holiday, to name a few.
And there’s an enthusiastic community on social media. I came across this meme that perfectly illustrates the four core pillars of Stoicism.
Amor fati
Amor fati translates to “love your fate.” It’s a concept that encourages us to embrace everything that happens to us, whether good or bad. That’s because whatever happens to us has a greater reason behind it.
The Stoics believe in the Logos, the greater cosmic order. In the grand scheme of things, we’re just a small speck. That’s not to say our life is insignificant—our life is here to serve a specific purpose, and that purpose is defined by our fate.
When we reject our fate, we end up being dragged by it. We’ll face whatever is meant to happen to us regardless of what we do.
Instead, it’s better to embrace our fate—to love it. That way, we can accept whatever happens to us and even come up with a more grounded solution to move forward.
An example of applying amor fati in my own life involved my health. After several blood tests, my cholesterol levels were through the roof.
I didn’t want to take statins because of the side effects of muscle atrophy. I tried everything to cut my cholesterol—avoiding takeaways, reducing my alcohol intake, and exercising a few times a week. But unfortunately, my blood tests showed little improvement.
At that moment, I accepted that this is how my body is and that I would have to deal with cholesterol for the rest of my life. But instead of accepting statins, I wanted to take more action—this was my last throw of the dice.
I realised I wasn’t being totally honest with myself. While I didn’t have many takeaways and hardly drank alcohol, I was still indulging in sugary snacks. And a lot of studies show a link between sugar intake and cholesterol. Plus, while I exercised, my efforts were half-hearted.
So I made an action plan and stuck to it. I bought a treadmill and ran five times a week for 30 minutes. I cut my sugar intake and increased my protein intake. I also vowed that if my blood test results still didn’t show any improvement, I would start taking statins.
With this mindset—accepting what I could and could not control—I stuck with my plan. And in three months, I had blood work done, and there was a significant improvement in my cholesterol.
Key Stoic quotes on amor fati
“Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happens the way it happens: then you will be happy.”
—Epictetus (Enchiridion, 8)
“Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.”
—Seneca (Letters to Lucilius, 107.11)
Memento mori
Memento mori translates to “remember you must die.”
Death is inevitable. And with that in mind, knowing that we could die at any given moment encourages us to live life to the fullest—and wisely.
Before learning about memento mori (and before I met my wife), my days were spent playing video games, drinking, and watching mindless shows and movies on Netflix. Besides work, I wasn’t productive at all.
When my dad died, I realised life is too short, and I learned that I should seize each moment. Time keeps moving, and it won’t come back.
I started to make the most of each day that I am alive. As a father and husband, I am fully present when I am with my family. My daughter is two, and I cherish each moment I have with her because I know she won’t be small for long.
And I want to write content for Dharmic Stoic. So while my days are busy, I write most of my content while commuting to work on the tram.
Knowing death is around the corner has helped me make the most of my days while I am alive.
Key Stoic quotes on memento mori
“It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.”
—Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, 12.1)
“Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.”
—Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, 7.56)
Premeditatio malorum
The literal translation of premeditatio malorum is “premeditation of evil.” It’s a Stoic practice of mentally preparing for adversity before it happens.
By imagining the worst-case scenario, you’ll be less disturbed when difficulties arise. This is especially true when dealing with uncertainty.
Job security was something I was precious about. And when I was made redundant, I realised there’s no such thing as job security. The economy can go down, office politics can push a company in a bad direction, or you could just have an awful manager. All these factors affect job security.
So I decided never to take any job for granted. This helped me make contingency plans in case I did lose my job.
Key Stoic quotes on premeditatio malorum
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labour does the body.”
—Seneca (On Providence, 2.2)
“If you wish to be immune to all fear, imagine that what you fear most has already happened.”
—Seneca (Letters to Lucilius, 24.12)
“To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.”
—Seneca (On Providence, 2.5)
Summum bonum
This final pillar is summum bonum, which translates to “the highest good.” It means living a life with good character, self-discipline, and a higher purpose.
For me, becoming a father has been instrumental in shaping my character and fortifying my self-discipline. It set the direction of my moral compass so I can lead by example.
Key Stoic quotes on summum bonum
“A good character, not external things, is the proper object of our efforts.”
—Epictetus (Discourses, 1.29)
“The excellence of a happy life consists in the right choice of what is good and what is evil.”
—Seneca (On the Happy Life, 3.3)
“If, at some point in your life, you should come across anything better than justice, truth, self-control, courage; it must be an extraordinary thing indeed.”
—Marcus Aurelius (Meditations, 3.6)
Turn these pillars into a daily practice
These four pillars represent the core foundations of Stoicism. And to get the most out of them, you’ve got to practice them.
Reading about Stoicism may feel good, but you’ll feel even better once you take action.