Wise for a Moment, Wise Forever

“A good isn’t increased by the addition of time, but if one is wise for even a moment, they will be no less happy than the person who exercises virtue for all time and happily passes their life in it.”

CHRYSIPPUS QUOTED BY PLUTARCH IN MORALIA: “AGAINST THE STOICS ON COMMON CONCEPTIONS,” 1062 (LOEB, P. 682)

The point of today’s quote in The Daily Stoic is that adhering to stoic tenets your entire life doesn’t make you happier than someone who found that wisdom for only a moment.

Once you become a follower of something, or an expert in something, it’s easy to fall into the trap of looking down on people who just discovered it. Though we should know better (especially because that was us until recently!), we sometimes regard these “newbs” with disdain, or even scorn. “They just got here,” we think to ourselves. “I’ve been doing it for a while.”

Thankfully stoicism doesn’t care about that type of petty thinking. It’s available to all who seek it, no matter how new they are to it. Stoicism takes time and practice, sure — but the wisdom can come immediately. If you’re wise for a moment, you can be as happy as though you’ve been wise forever.

And isn’t that awesome? That’s how it should be. There’s no point in trying to guarantee a lifetime of happiness via stoic practice — instead, just devote yourself daily and let the happiness come as it may.

It may come on the first day!

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