Motivational Quotes - The Stoics

     If you are like most everyone else, which I am as well, sometimes when we have a big challenge on our plates, we look for something or someone to help us.  Maybe a talk with a mentor or a friend. The great thing about print literature is that we can lean on mentors who are long gone.
     I've always felt that Stoic Philosophy fit my personality traits of internal locus of control.  That I'm in control.  I may not be a very good Stoic, but there are a bunch of Jews, Muslims, and Christians that aren't too dammed good at their religion either. 
      But don't confuse Philosophy with religion.  Philosophy is the cornerstone of all knowledge. An overarching umbrella that influences all our thoughts on all subjects whether we know it or not. The greatest crime of reason is to hold a thought and take some action and not truly understand what "first principles" these ideas come from.  The study of philosophy is paramount; so that we may become the rational actor as our nature dictates. 
     Stoicism falls in the branch of philosophy called Ethics.  Ethics is the third branch of philosophy which follows Metaphysics and Epistemology.  Ethics is important because it instructs us as to what has value, and it is only through value assignment and ordinal ranking of choices can we know what to choose, how to act,  and when.  I have collected some quotes from my three favorite Stoic philosophers and have written these quotes on 3x5 index cards.  Each morning at Infinitus 888K I plan to read these quotes to help me get my ass out the door and get to doing the work that needs to get done. They are below for you to check out. I highly encourage anyone to study philosophy.

Marcus Aurelius
It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.
Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.
You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
Our life is what our thoughts make it.

Epictetus
First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.
People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.
Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
No man is free who is not master of himself.
He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Seneca
It better befits a man to laugh than to lament over it.
It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
It is pleasant at times to play the madman.
Not to feel one's misfortunes is not human, not to bear them is not manly.
One should count each day a separate life.
Those told to undergo what cowards would weep over should say, "God has judged us fit subjects to try how much human nature can endure."

Then I have this quote which I don't know who said/wrote it:

Whether the thing you want to do takes a long time or a short time, the time will pass anyway.