On the occasion of the 2400th anniversary of his birth… Three years after the founding of the Academy, when Plato was forty-three years old, Aristotle, the most distinguished student of Plato and a philosopher scientist, was born in Stagira on the Halkidiki peninsula in 384 BC. He arrived in Athens as an eighteen-year-old and joined … Read more
Consider this in your hearts: if you strive with difficulty for anything noble, the struggle passes, but the noble deed endures; if you do anything shameful for the sake of pleasure, the pleasure passes, but the shame remains. Although less known today, Gaius Musonius Rufus (circa 30 – circa 100 AD) forms, together with Epictetus, … Read more
Plutarch, a Greek philosopher and biographer, was born around 46 in Chaeronea in Boeotia, at a time when Greek culture was in decline. Due to his great erudition and noble character, he gained much respect not only in Greece but also in Rome. For many years, he served as a priest in the most famous … Read more
Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Younger is one of the most significant representatives of Roman Stoicism. He was born in the 1st century BC in Roman Cordoba. From an early age, he showed talent. Under the influence of his teachers, famous stoics and pythagoreans of the time, he acquired a broad education and became a respected … Read more
Francis Bacon: On Praise: Gratitude is a reflection of virtue. However, it depends on the mirror or person who reflects it. If it comes from a simple-minded world, it is usually untrue and worthless, and it is more likely to follow vain individuals rather than virtuous ones. The simple-minded world fails to recognize many excellent … Read more
What is as pleasant to know and hear as a speech adorned and refined with wise thoughts and significant words? Or as powerful and magnificent as when one speech changes the movement of the people, the restraint of the judges, the dignity of the Senate? Marcus Tullius Cicero, in his works, has left us valuable … Read more
How to achieve happiness – XIV Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso The tradition of the Dalai Lama as the spiritual leader of Tibet and the Tibetan people dates back to the 16th century with the rise of the Gelug school of Buddhism. Tenzin Gyatso was recognized as a tulku, the embodiment of the Buddha of Compassion, … Read more
Francis Bacon – On Happiness It cannot be denied that external circumstances contribute to well-being: favor, opportunity, someone else’s death, situations that align with virtue. But for the most part, the mold of happiness lies in the hands of the individual. “Faber quisque fortunae suae” (Everyone is the architect of their own happiness), as the … Read more
Francis Bacon – On Beauty Virtue is like a precious gemstone, most valuable in its simplicity, without adornments; indeed, virtue best suits a person of plain appearance, though not necessarily refined features, who possesses a dignified bearing rather than a beautiful exterior. It is not often observed that very beautiful individuals are endowed with great … Read more
