Title: Stoicism Daily Practice And Meditations — LearnCoachAssist

Q: Who founded Stoicism and when?
A: Zeno of Citium in Athens, around 300 BCE, teaching at the Stoa Poikile (Painted Porch).

Q: Four main Stoic virtues?
A: Wisdom, Justice, Courage, Temperance.

Q: Stoic 'dichotomy of control' — what is it?
A: Distinguish what is up to you (judgments, choices, intentions) from what is not (the body, reputation, others' actions). Focus energy only on the former.

Q: Marcus Aurelius — who and what did he write?
A: Roman emperor (161-180 CE), wrote Meditations — private journal of Stoic reflections for self-improvement.

Q: Epictetus — background?
A: Former slave who taught philosophy in Rome and Nicopolis; works recorded by student Arrian as Discourses and Enchiridion.

Q: Seneca — who?
A: Roman statesman, playwright, advisor to Nero; wrote Letters from a Stoic (Epistulae Morales) and On the Shortness of Life.

Q: Translate premeditatio malorum.
A: Premeditation of evils — visualize possible setbacks in advance to dull their sting and prepare your response.

Q: View from above — what is it?
A: Imagine yourself rising up, seeing your city, country, the planet, the cosmos — shrinks petty concerns, gives perspective.

Q: Memento mori?
A: 'Remember you must die.' Not morbid — a reminder to use time well, drop trivial grievances, savor what's here.

Q: Daily morning Stoic practice?
A: Brief reflection: 'Today I will meet ungrateful, arrogant, deceitful people. None of this can harm me unless I let it.' (Aurelius).

Q: Daily evening practice?
A: Review the day: What did I do well? Poorly? What can I improve? — Seneca recommends this nightly examination.

Q: Negative visualization — purpose?
A: Briefly imagine losing what you have (health, loved ones, possessions). Increases gratitude and reduces fragility.

Q: Stoic view on emotions?
A: Emotions aren't bad — but they're judgments. By examining the judgment, you can avoid being controlled by destructive ones (rage, envy, fear).

Q: Apatheia — meaning?
A: Not apathy. Freedom from destructive passions (pathē); leaves room for eupatheia — joy, caution, wish — the good feelings.

Q: Ataraxia?
A: Tranquility of mind — a state Stoics aimed for via virtue and correct judgments. Shared with Epicureans, but reached differently.

Q: 'Some things are up to us; others are not' — opening of what?
A: Epictetus' Enchiridion (Handbook).

Q: Stoic discipline of assent?
A: Examine impressions before assenting to them. 'You appear to me, impression — let me test you. Are you what you seem?'

Q: Discipline of action?
A: Act with justice for the common good, reserving your assent to outcomes ('fate permitting').

Q: Discipline of desire?
A: Want only what is in your power. Accept what happens — amor fati, love of fate.

Q: Logos — meaning to Stoics?
A: The rational, ordering principle of the cosmos. Humans share in it via reason; living virtuously = living 'according to nature.'

Q: Why was Stoicism popular in Rome?
A: Emphasis on duty, virtue, self-discipline matched Roman ideals. Senators, generals, and emperors found it practical.

Q: How is modern CBT linked to Stoicism?
A: Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck cited Epictetus: 'It's not events that disturb people, it's their judgments about events.' Cognitive Behavioral Therapy reframes thoughts directly inspired by this.

Q: Marcus Aurelius quote on obstacles?
A: 'The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.'

Q: Seneca on time?
A: 'It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.' (On the Shortness of Life)

Q: Epictetus on people's opinions?
A: 'If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you, but answer, He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.'

Q: Practice for anger?
A: Pause. Name the impression ('they were rude'). Question its truth and significance. Choose a virtuous response — not the automatic one.

Q: Stoic approach to luxury?
A: Use, don't depend. Periodically practice voluntary discomfort (cold showers, simple meals) to weaken attachment.

Q: How would a Stoic handle a missed promotion?
A: External — not up to me. My judgment, work, and character are. Continue acting well; learn from feedback; don't define worth by outcome.

Q: Common misreading of Stoicism?
A: That it means emotionless detachment. Stoics value engagement, friendship, family, and civic duty — what they reject is being ruled by reactive passions.

Q: Stoic view on death of a loved one?
A: Grieve, but proportionately. Remember they were a loan from Nature. Live well in their honor.

Q: Daily journaling prompt?
A: 'Where did I act according to virtue today? Where did I fail? What will I do differently tomorrow?'

Q: View from above journal exercise?
A: Imagine your day from 10 km up — does that argument with a stranger still matter? What about from a century in the future?

Q: Stoic exercise for materialism?
A: List three things you own; imagine living without each; ask whether they truly contribute to your virtue and tranquility.

Q: How to respond to insults Stoically?
A: Insults are external. They cannot harm character. Optional response: gratitude (they revealed an opportunity to practice patience). Reply only if useful, never reactively.

Q: Cardinal practice for procrastination?
A: Aurelius: 'At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: I have to go to work — as a human being.' Act according to your nature.

Q: Stoic test for any decision?
A: Does this serve virtue (wisdom, courage, justice, temperance)? If not, why are you doing it?

Q: Who founded Stoicism?
A: Zeno of Citium, around 300 BCE in Athens — he taught at the Stoa Poikile ("painted porch"), giving Stoicism its name.

Q: Who are the "Big Three" Roman Stoics?
A: Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius — the most widely read Stoic authors today.

Q: What is the core Stoic dichotomy?
A: Some things are up to us (judgments, intentions, desires); others are not (everything external). Focus only on the first.

Q: What is "the discipline of assent"?
A: Withholding agreement from impressions until you've examined them carefully — the foundation of clear thinking.

Q: What is "the discipline of action"?
A: Acting with reasoned intention, in accordance with virtue and the common good — not driven by impulse.

Q: What is "the discipline of desire"?
A: Aligning desires and aversions with what's actually within your control — frees you from disturbance.

Q: What are the four cardinal Stoic virtues?
A: Wisdom (sophia), Courage (andreia), Justice (dikaiosune), and Self-discipline (sophrosune).

Q: What does "wisdom" mean for Stoics?
A: The capacity to judge what is good, bad, or indifferent — the foundational virtue from which others flow.

Q: What does "courage" mean for Stoics?
A: Persistence in pursuing the good despite fear, hardship, or social pressure.

Q: What does "justice" mean for Stoics?
A: Treating others with fairness, kindness, and respect — recognizing your social role and obligations.

Q: What does "temperance" mean for Stoics?
A: Self-discipline, moderation, and mastery over pleasures, appetites, and passions.

Q: What is amor fati?
A: "Love of fate" — embracing whatever happens as necessary, rather than wishing things were otherwise.

Q: What is memento mori?
A: "Remember you will die" — a daily reminder of mortality to sharpen what matters now.

Q: What is the view from above?
A: A meditation imagining yourself looking down from a great height — restores proportion and humility.

Q: What is premeditatio malorum?
A: "Premeditation of evils" — visualizing setbacks in advance so they don't surprise you when they come.

Q: What is "negative visualization"?
A: Modern term for premeditatio malorum — picturing loss to deepen appreciation and reduce hedonic adaptation.

Q: What is "the inner citadel"?
A: Marcus Aurelius's metaphor: the inviolable mental space where no external can reach without your permission.

Q: What is the role of "logos" in Stoicism?
A: Universal reason — the rational principle ordering the cosmos that humans can attune to.

Q: What does "live according to nature" mean?
A: Living in accordance with rational human nature and with the broader order of the cosmos.

Q: What is "Stoic acceptance"?
A: Acknowledging events as they are while still acting to influence what you can — not passive resignation.

Q: Who was Seneca?
A: Roman statesman, playwright, and philosopher (4 BCE–65 CE); tutor and adviser to Nero; author of Letters to Lucilius.

Q: Who was Epictetus?
A: Born a slave, later freed; founded a Stoic school in Greece. Author (via Arrian) of the Discourses and the Enchiridion.

Q: Who was Marcus Aurelius?
A: Roman Emperor (161–180 CE) who kept a private journal known today as Meditations.

Q: What is the Enchiridion?
A: Epictetus's "handbook" — short practical maxims compiled by his student Arrian, ideal as a pocket guide.

Q: What is Meditations?
A: Marcus Aurelius's private notebook — personal reflections written to himself, never intended for publication.

Q: What is Seneca's most accessible work?
A: Letters to Lucilius (Moral Epistles) — 124 letters on philosophical topics, written as informal essays.

Q: What is the Stoic "evening review"?
A: End-of-day reflection on what you did well, what you handled poorly, and how to improve — Seneca recommended it nightly.

Q: What is the Stoic "morning preparation"?
A: Brief mental rehearsal of likely challenges and how you intend to meet them with virtue.

Q: What is "premeditation" before a meeting?
A: Stoic-style technique: visualize possible conflicts and responses so emotional surprise doesn't derail you.

Q: What is "the obstacle is the way"?
A: From Marcus Aurelius — what blocks the action becomes the action itself; obstacles redirect effort productively.

Q: What did Marcus mean by "you have power over your mind, not outside events"?
A: The core dichotomy of control restated — your assent to impressions is the only true freedom.

Q: What is a Stoic "preferred indifferent"?
A: Things like health, wealth, reputation — neutral in themselves but reasonably preferred when virtue isn't compromised.

Q: What is a Stoic "dispreferred indifferent"?
A: Things like illness, poverty, dishonor — reasonably avoided when possible but not bad in themselves.

Q: What does Epictetus mean by "it is not the things themselves that disturb us"?
A: It's our judgments about things, not the things themselves. Changing the judgment changes the experience.

Q: What is the role of emotions in Stoicism?
A: Stoics distinguish pathē (disturbing passions) from eupatheiai (rational, healthy emotions). They don't suppress all feeling.

Q: What are the three eupatheiai?
A: Joy (chara), caution (eulabeia), and rational wishing (boulēsis) — wise alternatives to pleasure, fear, and appetite.

Q: What is "Stoic apatheia"?
A: Freedom from destructive passions — not absence of feeling. The opposite of being ruled by reactive emotion.

Q: What is the Stoic view of pleasure?
A: Not bad in itself, but not the highest good. Pleasure pursued for its own sake undermines virtue.

Q: What did Epictetus teach about wanting?
A: "Don't ask things to happen as you wish; wish them to happen as they do." Aligns desire with reality.

Q: What is "the reserve clause"?
A: "I will do X, fate permitting" — committing to action while acknowledging you don't control outcomes.

Q: What is "the discipline of perception" exercise?
A: Examining each impression objectively before assenting to its emotional charge — "this is X happening, no more, no less."

Q: What is "objective representation"?
A: Strip a feared event of dramatic interpretation: "a man is dying" rather than "the unspeakable tragedy of death."

Q: What is sympatheia?
A: The Stoic view that all things are interconnected and mutually responsive — the cosmos as a single organism.

Q: What is "cosmopolitanism" in Stoicism?
A: The view that all rational beings are fellow citizens of the cosmos — basis of universal justice and kindness.

Q: What is "right action" (kathēkon)?
A: Action consistent with one's nature and role — not necessarily virtuous yet, but appropriate.

Q: What is a "perfect action" (katorthōma)?
A: An action done with full virtue — the right thing for the right reason in the right way.

Q: What is "indifference" in the Stoic sense?
A: Not apathy, but not making your happiness depend on the outcome of externals.

Q: What is "voluntary discomfort"?
A: Periodically practicing minor hardships (cold, fasting, simple food) to reduce fear of losing comfort.

Q: What did Seneca recommend about wealth?
A: Don't avoid wealth, but periodically live as if poor to confirm it doesn't own you.

Q: What is the Stoic view on fame?
A: Fame is fleeting, granted by people whose judgment you wouldn't otherwise trust. Don't anchor self-worth to it.

Q: What did Marcus write about other people's opinions?
A: "It is not your concern what they think of you, only what you do."

Q: What is "the role" exercise?
A: Marcus's reminder to himself: you have roles (citizen, parent, leader) — each comes with duties to fulfill well.

Q: What is "the daily review" question set?
A: What did I do? Where did I fall short? Where did I do well? What might I improve tomorrow?

Q: What is "the cosmic perspective" technique?
A: Picture your life from the perspective of all human history — most worries shrink dramatically.

Q: What is the "view from Sirius"?
A: A modern variant of view from above — imagine looking at your concerns from a distant star.

Q: What is "transient permanence"?
A: Recognizing that even seemingly permanent things (relationships, careers, lives) are temporary — sharpens appreciation.

Q: What is the Stoic on impermanence (Marcus)?
A: "All things change; the universe is change. Life is opinion."

Q: What did Epictetus mean by "we are upset not by things but by our opinions about them"?
A: The same external event triggers different reactions in different people — the difference is internal judgment.

Q: What is the "person on the train" exercise?
A: When wronged, ask: would I be upset if a stranger on a train did this? Often anger softens.

Q: What is the Stoic approach to anger?
A: Anger is temporary madness; pause before responding; remember the other person acts from their own confused perspective.

Q: What is Seneca's "On Anger" key insight?
A: Anger is never useful — even justified anger clouds judgment. Train yourself to delay reaction.

Q: What is the "yellow card" practice?
A: Pause when you feel a strong reaction; mentally hold up a yellow card before assenting.

Q: What is a "stoic morning text"?
A: A daily practice of reading a short Stoic passage to set tone for the day.

Q: What is The Daily Stoic?
A: Modern book (Ryan Holiday + Stephen Hanselman) — 366 daily meditations adapting Stoic texts.

Q: What is Ryan Holiday's contribution to modern Stoicism?
A: Popularized practical Stoicism through The Obstacle Is the Way, Ego Is the Enemy, and Stillness Is the Key.

Q: What is Massimo Pigliucci's contribution?
A: Philosopher who writes accessible modern Stoicism — How to Be a Stoic, Field Guide to a Happy Life.

Q: What is William B. Irvine's contribution?
A: A Guide to the Good Life — introduces the "joy from things you already have" Stoic exercise.

Q: What is "Stoic Week"?
A: An annual online program where participants follow Stoic practices for one week — research-backed.

Q: What is "Modern Stoicism"?
A: Academic-practitioner project at modernstoicism.com — combines philosophy and psychology research.

Q: What philosophical school did Stoicism descend from?
A: Cynicism — Zeno was a student of Crates the Cynic before forming his own school.

Q: How does Stoicism differ from Cynicism?
A: Cynics rejected society; Stoics participated fully while remaining internally free.

Q: How does Stoicism differ from Epicureanism?
A: Epicureans sought serenity through calculated pleasure; Stoics sought it through virtue and acceptance.

Q: What is Stoicism's view of suicide?
A: The "open door" — preserved as ultimate exit if life becomes incompatible with virtue. Used rarely and after deliberation.

Q: What did Seneca write about reading?
A: "You should read many books, but always come back to a few good ones." Depth beats novelty.

Q: What did Seneca write about time?
A: "It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it."

Q: What is "the time audit" Stoic exercise?
A: Track an ordinary day and notice how much time goes to things you wouldn't choose — Senecan productivity.

Q: What is "the unprofitable society" reflection?
A: Seneca's warning about whom you spend time with — your character drifts toward theirs.

Q: What is "the philosophical friend"?
A: A friend committed to virtue — Stoics valued these above all other relationships.

Q: What is "Stoic journaling"?
A: Daily practice of writing reflections on impressions, choices, and progress — Marcus's Meditations is the model.

Q: What journal prompts work best?
A: What virtue did I practice? What ruled me today — reason or impulse? What will I do differently?

Q: What is "the imaginary mentor" exercise?
A: When facing a hard choice, ask what Marcus, Seneca, or another wise person would do.

Q: What is Epictetus on "what is yours"?
A: Your body, possessions, and reputation are not yours — only your faculty of choice is fully yours.

Q: What is "the gift of impermanence"?
A: Knowing everything is temporary frees you to appreciate it without clinging.

Q: What is the Stoic view of grief?
A: Grief is natural; suppressing it isn't required. But indulging it indefinitely is unjust to oneself and others.

Q: What did Seneca write to his mother on his exile?
A: Consolation to Helvia — virtue can sustain itself anywhere; place doesn't determine inner peace.

Q: What did Marcus write about mortality?
A: "Each day is a journey, and the journey itself home." Death is a return, not a violation.

Q: What is "the present moment" emphasis?
A: Stoics taught that only the present is real — past and future exist only in mind.

Q: What is "the now is enough" mantra?
A: Modern Stoic practice — anchor attention to current task and remove future projection.

Q: What is "the slow start" morning ritual?
A: Begin the day deliberately with reading, walking, or reflection before screens — prevents reactive mode.

Q: What is "the deliberate pause" technique?
A: Inserting a breath between stimulus and response — the gap is where freedom lives.

Q: What is "Stoic awareness"?
A: Continuous attention to the quality of one's attention — the most basic Stoic discipline.

Q: What is "the conduct standard"?
A: A small set of self-chosen rules you commit to as a personal honor code.

Q: What did Marcus write about the future?
A: "Don't fear the future. Trust your reason. Whatever it brings, you'll meet it with the same faculties."

Q: What did Marcus mean by "very little is needed"?
A: Simplicity allows focus on virtue. Most desires are added by social comparison, not real need.

Q: What is "Stoic gratitude"?
A: Deep appreciation for what you have, sharpened by remembering it could be otherwise.

Q: What is the "gratitude letter" practice?
A: Write a letter of thanks to someone whose example helped you — reinforces appreciation as a habit.

Q: What is the "list of teachers" exercise?
A: Marcus opens Meditations Book 1 by listing what each mentor taught him — clarifies your debts.

Q: What is the "lineage" reflection?
A: Recognizing you stand on the shoulders of others — humility plus belonging.

Q: What is "the dichotomy expanded" (William Irvine)?
A: Some things are entirely in our control; some not at all; some are partially in our control. Focus effort accordingly.

Q: What is "the trichotomy of control"?
A: Irvine's three-part refinement: complete control, no control, partial control — pair effort with internal goals.

Q: What is "internal goal setting"?
A: Setting goals about your effort and intention, not outcomes you can't fully control.

Q: Example of an internal goal?
A: "Play the best tennis match I can" instead of "win the match."

Q: What did Epictetus mean by "what is in your power"?
A: "Your opinion, aim, desire, aversion — your own affairs."

Q: What is the Stoic view on argument?
A: Argue to find truth, not to win. Withdraw if the other person isn't engaging in good faith.

Q: What did Marcus mean by "no one can prevent you from doing the right thing"?
A: Even imprisoned, you choose how to think. External constraints don't reach the choosing self.

Q: What is Stoic equanimity?
A: A settled steadiness through both fortune and misfortune — rooted in valuing only what's truly yours.

Q: What is "the contemplative walk"?
A: A daily walk paired with reflective reading or meditation — Seneca walked while dictating Letters.

Q: What is "Stoic minimalism"?
A: Owning what serves your purpose, releasing what doesn't — practical expression of preferred indifferents.

Q: What is "voluntary simplicity"?
A: Choosing to consume less than you could afford — keeps appetites from expanding past your means.

Q: What is the practice of fasting in Stoicism?
A: Periodic abstention from food or pleasure — trains the mind to disconnect happiness from external supply.

Q: What is "the cold shower test"?
A: A modern Stoic exercise — voluntary discomfort confirms you're not enslaved to comfort.

Q: What is "the discipline of attention"?
A: Returning the mind, again and again, to what matters — analogous to mindfulness practice.

Q: What does "do every act of your life as though it were your last" mean?
A: Marcus's call to invest each action with full attention and integrity.

Q: What is Stoic "decision fatigue" antidote?
A: Pre-commit to small principles ("morning is for deep work; phone after noon") so you don't decide repeatedly.

Q: What is "selecting your impressions"?
A: Choosing what you expose yourself to — news, social media, conversations — shapes the impressions you must process.

Q: What is "noble lineage" reflection?
A: Imagining yourself as descendant of all who suffered, struggled, and acted virtuously — invites you to honor them.

Q: What did Marcus mean by "very many honors and great praises after one's death are like glorying in a name"?
A: Most fame is hollow; only present virtue matters.

Q: What is "the bird and the dog" parable (Cleanthes)?
A: Like a dog tied to a moving cart, you can resist fate and be dragged, or follow willingly and walk easily.

Q: What is Stoic providence?
A: The view that the cosmos is rationally ordered — even apparent misfortune fits a larger pattern.

Q: What is the Stoic view if providence doesn't exist?
A: Marcus: even if the universe is mere atoms in motion, you can still live virtuously and that's enough.

Q: What is "Stoic vs. Skeptic"?
A: Stoics affirm a rational cosmos and confident ethics; Skeptics suspend judgment, including on ethics.

Q: What is Stoicism's relationship to logic?
A: Foundational — Stoic logic was advanced for its time, including propositional logic and conditional reasoning.

Q: What is the Stoic categorization of impressions?
A: Phantasiai (impressions) classified as cataleptic (clear, true) or non-cataleptic (uncertain) — assent only to cataleptic.

Q: What is "Stoic cognitive therapy" connection?
A: CBT, especially Beck and Ellis, drew from Stoic ideas — distinguishing event from judgment.

Q: What is REBT?
A: Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy — Albert Ellis explicitly cited Epictetus as a source.

Q: What does ABCDE in REBT stand for?
A: Activating event, Belief, Consequence, Disputation, Effect — Stoic-style examination of impressions.

Q: What is "the negative bias correction"?
A: Notice that you weight bad more than good; deliberately balance attention.

Q: What is "the praemeditatio of loss" applied to relationships?
A: Periodically remembering loved ones will die or change — deepens present care.

Q: What is "the unkind person" reframe?
A: When wronged, imagine the other person as a child or as suffering — softens reaction.

Q: What did Marcus advise when waking up?
A: "In the morning, when you rise unwillingly, let this thought be present: I am rising to do the work of a human being."

Q: What is "the duty of the moment"?
A: Whatever falls to you to do now, do it well — that is enough.

Q: What does Marcus write about complaining?
A: "To stop being annoyed by something is the same as having that thing not happen."

Q: What is the Stoic on small slights?
A: Most are not personal; people act from their own context. Letting go is faster than relitigating.

Q: What is "the noble friend test"?
A: Choose friends by the qualities you'd want to absorb — proximity shapes character.

Q: What did Seneca mean by "we suffer more in imagination than in reality"?
A: Anticipated suffering usually exceeds actual suffering — face the present, not the imagined future.

Q: What is "the rehearsal of disaster"?
A: Imagining worst-case scenarios to confirm you could survive them — fear shrinks under examination.

Q: What is "the worry list" exercise?
A: Write down what you fear; assess what's in your control vs. not; act on the first, accept the second.

Q: What is "Stoic curiosity"?
A: Approaching strange or unwelcome events with curiosity rather than reactivity.

Q: What is "the rational appetite"?
A: Wanting things for reasons you could explain to a wise friend — not just impulse.

Q: What is "the brief reign" reflection?
A: Even emperors and millionaires die ordinary; status is a brief loan.

Q: What is "the obstacle as material"?
A: Marcus: every difficulty is raw material for practicing virtue. Without it, virtue can't be exercised.

Q: What is "the unfair situation" reframe?
A: No external circumstance is unjust to your inner self — only your judgments make it so.

Q: What does Stoicism say about hope?
A: Hope and fear are paired — both depend on uncertain future. Stoics prefer present action.

Q: What is the Stoic stance on activism?
A: Engage fully where virtue calls. Effort is yours; outcomes are not — and that's no reason to withdraw.

Q: What is "the virtuous middle"?
A: Stoics didn't seek extremes — virtue is found in calibrated, reasoned action.

Q: What is "the discipline of speech"?
A: Speak less than you could, listen more, avoid gossip — what you say shapes what you think.

Q: What did Epictetus teach about silence?
A: "In conversation, refrain from speaking very much, or with excess." Silence is itself a discipline.

Q: What is "the gossip filter"?
A: Don't speak ill of an absent person — Stoic standard for trustworthy speech.

Q: What is the Stoic view of solitude?
A: Periods of solitude are necessary for self-examination; ongoing isolation hardens. Balance both.

Q: What is "self-sufficiency" (autarkeia)?
A: Not isolation; the capacity to be content with what you have inside — even in company.

Q: What is Stoicism's most practical legacy?
A: A trainable mental discipline for staying calm, ethical, and effective under pressure.

Q: What is the simplest summary?
A: Focus on what's in your control; act with virtue; accept what's not yours to control.

Q: What did Epictetus mean by "wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants"?
A: Contentment comes from limiting desires, not maximizing acquisitions.

Q: What is "the dichotomy of social roles"?
A: Many roles (parent, citizen, employee) are assigned by life; your task is to play each one with virtue.

Q: What is "the role-actor" metaphor?
A: Epictetus: you are an actor in a play you didn't write; your job is to play your part well, not to choose the script.

Q: What did Marcus mean by "waste no more time arguing about what a good person should be — be one"?
A: Action over theorizing; virtue is demonstrated, not described.

Q: What is "the value of one good hour"?
A: Senecan reflection: invested deliberately, one hour shapes a day; deliberately invested days shape a life.

Q: What is "the test of solitude"?
A: Time alone with your thoughts reveals what your mind defaults to — the truest measure of inner state.

Q: What is Stoic "preparation for adversity"?
A: Daily mental rehearsal of difficulties trains the mind to respond rather than react.

Q: What is "the audit of attention"?
A: Notice where attention has gone today — your attention shows what you actually valued, regardless of words.

Q: What is "the equanimity test" in negotiation?
A: If your peace depends on the outcome, you've already lost ground. Walk in willing to walk away.

Q: What is Stoicism's lasting contribution to therapy?
A: The recognition that thought patterns can be changed deliberately — the cognitive turn in psychotherapy.

Q: What is the Stoic on "self-improvement"?
A: Improve the inner faculties (judgment, courage, restraint) — these are within your control and benefit every other endeavor.

Q: What is "the dignity of work" in Stoicism?
A: Any honest work done well participates in the good. Status of the work matters less than the spirit of doing it.

Q: What is the simplest Stoic exercise to start?
A: Each evening, write three things: what you did well, what you handled poorly, what to try tomorrow.

Q: What is the daily Stoic question?
A: "Am I living according to nature today — using reason, treating others justly, and accepting what isn't mine to control?"

Q: What is the Stoic "good death"?
A: Dying having lived virtuously — not measured by length, accomplishment, or comfort, but by integrity of character.