“Don’t act grudgingly, without due diligence, or to be a contrarian. Don’t overdress your thought in fine language. Don’t be a person of too many words and too many deeds… Be cheerful, not wanting outside help or the relief others might bring. A person needs to stand on their own, not be propped up.”
MARCUS AURELIUS, MEDITATIONS, 3.5
That’s a whole lot of “don’ts” in today’s quote from The Daily Stoic. Honestly it’s a lot of ideas kind of mashed together — almost feels like it would have been a good idea to split this quote up. But no matter, here we are. I feel like the overall theme is basically just don’t overdo it. And that’s coming from a Roman emperor!
Avoid laying on too many fancy words when speaking. Nobody’s impressed. And you shouldn’t care anyway — work on impressing yourself instead.
Don’t try to do too many things in one day, or take on too many projects. It will end up being overwhelming and more than you can handle on your own. As Marcus points out, “a person needs to stand on their own, not be propped up.” If you try to tackle everything at once, that won’t be possible.
Keep it simple, stoic. And remember to not overdo it.
