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Stoic virtues - Wisdom

Stoicism has 4 primary virtues. Wisdom is the primary.

The definition of wisdom

For stoics, wisdom is the knowledge of what is good, evil, and indifferent. Wisdom informs action, and your acts in life are the only measure of your accumulation of wisdom.

Quotes on wisdom

Seneca: “Works, not words”

Epictetus: “The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own.”

We have the ability to choose our actions and reactions. Victor Frankl: “Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.” - In that space, we have the ability to use our learnings, experience, and desire to practice philosophy and use it - or act mindlessly, impulsively, irrationally.

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