“It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them.” —EPICTETUS, ENCHIRIDION, 5 Ni jambo la kushukuru sana kwa kila mtu aliyeiona siku hii nyingine mpya kwetu. Siyo kwa nguvu wala akili zetu tumepata nafasi hii, bali kwa bahati ya kipekee mno. Tungeweza kukubwa na mabaya yaliyowakumba (more…)
“From the very beginning, make it your practice to say to every harsh impression, ‘you are an impression and not at all what you appear to be.’ Next, examine and test it by the rules you possess, the first and greatest of which is this—whether it belongs to the things (more…)
“When it comes to money, where we feel our clear interest, we have an entire art where the tester uses many means to discover the worth . . . just as we give great attention to judging things that might steer us badly. But when it comes to our own (more…)
“There are two things that must be rooted out in human beings—arrogant opinion and mistrust. Arrogant opinion expects that there is nothing further needed, and mistrust assumes that under the torrent of circumstance there can be no happiness.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 3.14.8 Ni siku nyingine mpya na ya kipekee sana kwetu. (more…)
“When you first rise in the morning tell yourself: I will encounter busybodies, ingrates, egomaniacs, liars, the jealous and cranks. They are all stricken with these afflictions because they don’t know the difference between good and evil. Because I have understood the beauty of good and the ugliness of evil, (more…)
“First off, don’t let the force of the impression carry you away. Say to it, ‘hold up a bit and let me see who you are and where you are from—let me put you to the test’ . . .” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 2.18.24 Hongera sana mwanamafanikio kwa siku hii nyingine (more…)
“Make sure you’re not made ‘Emperor,’ avoid that imperial stain. It can happen to you, so keep yourself simple, good, pure, saintly, plain, a friend of justice, god-fearing, gracious, affectionate, and strong for your proper work. Fight to remain the person that philosophy wished to make you. Revere the gods, (more…)
“Circumstances are what deceive us—you must be discerning in them. We embrace evil before good. We desire the opposite of what we once desired. Our prayers are at war with our prayers, our plans with our plans.” —SENECA, MORAL LETTERS, 45.6 Hongera mwanamafanikio kwa siku hii nyingine nzuri sana ya (more…)
“Drama, combat, terror, numbness, and subservience—every day these things wipe out your sacred principles, whenever your mind entertains them uncritically or lets them slip in.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 10.9 Hongera mwanamafanikio kwa siku hii nyingine nzuri sana ya leo. Ni nafasi nzuri sana kwetu kwenda kuweka juhudi kubwa ili kuweza (more…)
“Your mind will take the shape of what you frequently hold in thought, for the human spirit is colored by such impressions.” —MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 5.16 Ni siku mpya ya mwezi mpya katika mwaka wetu huu mzuri wa mafanikio. Tushukuru kwa nafasi hii nyingine ya uhai na tukaitendee vyema ili (more…)