10 Stoic Rules That Make You Impossible to Provoke

Epictetus was insulted in public for years. A student wrote down what he did — not what he felt. His answer is four words long, and it contains a stone: listen like a stone. "Stand by a stone and revile it, and what will you gain? If then a man listens like a stone, what profit is there to the reviler?" — Epictetus, Discourses (translation of 1758) The ten rules that came out of that answer — and why they make you impossible to provoke: why "feeling nothing" is not what stoicism means the verdict you sign right after the sentence (and how to stop signing it) the thirty-second pause that changes the ending how to withdraw the permission an insult needs to land Timestamps 0:00 The insult you swallowed this year 2:24 Rule 1 — Separate what is yours from what isn't 4:52 Rule 2 — It is not the thing; it is the verdict 7:28 Rule 3 — The thirty-second pause that changes the ending 10:44 Rule 4 — Remember you are going to die 13:07 Rule 5 — Rehearse the blow before it lands 16:00 Rule 6 — The obstacle is doing you a favor 18:09 Rule 7 — Withdraw your permission 21:16 Rule 8 — Choose some discomfort on purpose 23:50 Rule 9 — The view from above 26:15 Rule 10 — The only real property 28:34 The ten rules, one line each If this helped you, subscribe — new videos every few days on Stoic discipline, focus, and how to handle what's outside your control. Music from #Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/music/tracks/benja... License code: VNXPUYHHPKXQ9ZMC #stoicism #epictetus #stoicphilosophy