The Little Book of Stoicism

Practice 19

Become an Eternal Student

“Leisure without study is death—a tomb for the living person.” – Seneca

As an aspiring Stoic philosopher, you’re by definition a lover of wisdom. You love to learn about how to live—you’re a seeker of wisdom.

Remember, the Stoics saw themselves as veritable warriors of the mind—to learn how to live and most importantly, to put it into practice. Epictetus taught his students to contemplate their lives as if they were at a festival—the festival of life.

This metaphor conveys a sense of gratitude for life because it’s a reminder that life will soon come to an end. Plus, seeing life as a festival helps us regard the turmoil of life in a more detached manner—just like a busy and chaotic festival.

Now, as philosophers, we should seek to study the festival before we leave it, and suck in as much knowledge as possible. It’s our duty to make progress as the festival goes on. Day after day. As Seneca says, “leisure without study is death.”

“Make sure you enjoy your relaxation like a poet—not idly but actively, observing the world around you, taking it all in, better understanding your place in the universe,” as Ryan Holiday puts it. “Take a day off from work every now and then, but not a day off from learning.”

We shall not only leave the remnants of time to learning, but we must actively make time for it. That’s what we’re here for. To seek wisdom to improve ourselves, to get better, to learn how to be a good parent, spouse, and friend.

“The value of education (knowledge) like that of gold is valued in every place,” says Epictetus.

You don’t have an excuse. Today it’s easier than ever to learn something new every day. Wisdom is abundant all over the internet. Books are cheap and get delivered to your reading chair. We can learn from the smartest people who ever lived—for a few bucks.

As an avid student, keep in mind two things:

1. Be humble: As Epictetus teaches us, “It is impossible to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” And Marcus adds, “If anyone can prove and show to me that I think and act in error, I will gladly change it—for I seek the truth.”

2. Put it into practice: Don’t be satisfied with mere learning, Epictetus warns us, “For as time passes we forget and end up doing the opposite.” As warriors of the mind, we must go out and actually live out what we’ve learned.