👋 Hey phi-lazy-phers
I know, I see the irony too. This is a newsletter with the word “lazy” in the name yet the first issue is focused on discipline. But what better time than this very moment to remind you we all have the potential to achieve whatever we want in life? Seeing real results and changes in our lives, though, comes down to habits and discipline.
So, let’s see what some of our favorite minds have to say about the importance of disciplining yourself.
Plato
The first and greatest victory is to conquer yourself.
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Ayelet Waldman
The only difference between a writer and someone who wants to be a writer is discipline.
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Albert Ellis
The best years of your life are the ones in which you decide your problems are your own. You do not blame them on your mother, the ecology, or the president. You realize that you control your own destiny.
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Horace
Rule your mind or it will rule you.
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Seneca
No evil propensity of the human heart is so powerful that it may not be subdued by discipline.
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Frank Herbert
Seek freedom and become captive of your desires. Seek discipline and find your liberty.
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Friedrich Nietzsche
No one can construct for you the bridge upon which precisely you must cross the stream of life, no one but yourself alone.
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Benjamin Franklin
Energy and persistence conquer all things.
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Florence Nightingale
Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift. There is nothing small in it. Far the greatest things grow by God's law out of the smallest. But to live your life, you must discipline it.
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Lao Tzu
A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
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Epictetus
How long are you going to wait before you demand the best of yourself?
I think my favorite quote of the above lot is the one from Ayelet Waldman, because “writer” can be swapped with whatever it is you want to do. If you want to be a runner, you have to be disciplined in your routine and run even when you don’t feel like it. If you want to be a healthy eater, you need to create a plan and stick to it. If you want to be an entrepreneur…you get the idea.
Thanks for reading this issue—it’s my hope Lazy Philosophy will provide you with real value each week. If you have suggestions on what topics you’d like to see covered in future issues, DM me on Twitter.
✌️ Until next week, happy philosophizing.
Upcoming Issues:
Material Possessions
Identity & Self
Anxiety