Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this episode, we explore why New Year’s can feel strangely heavy, even when it’s meant to be a celebration. For many people, it becomes a moment of judgment, comparison, and pressure, a symbolic “turning point” that makes unfinished business feel louder than usual. The Stoics offer a calmer way to approach it, not as a magical reset, but as another chance to live with clarity, intention, and steadiness.

At the center of this episode is a simple Stoic shift: measure your year by your character, not your outcomes. We often evaluate ourselves by externals, achievements, money, status, habits, even health, yet so much of that is never fully up to us. For the Stoics, this wasn’t about lowering ambition, but about grounding self-worth in what truly belongs to you: how you think, choose, and act.

Epictetus captures this clearly when he reminds us:
“Some things are up to us and some are not.”
Epictetus, Handbook 1

For the Stoics, this wasn’t about becoming passive, but about becoming precise. When Epictetus writes this, he isn’t telling us to stop striving, but reminding us to stop attaching our peace to results we cannot command. New Year’s intentions become healthier when they focus on the inner work, boundaries, honesty, courage, and daily discipline, rather than a single dramatic change on January 1st.

Here are a few Stoic practices from this episode you can explore in your own life:

• A yearly review of character – Ask, “Did I act well this year?” rather than “Did I win?” Look for progress in patience, integrity, and self-control.

• Set intentions, not fantasies – Replace rigid resolutions with small commitments you can practice daily, even when motivation fades.

• Detach from comparison – Notice the impulse to measure your year against others, and return to what you actually know: your own choices.

• Accept the past, begin again – Let last year be a teacher, not a verdict. Drop regret, take the lesson, and continue.

New Year’s can be a useful mirror, but it doesn’t need to become a courtroom. Stoicism helps you step into the next year with less pressure and more direction, grounded in what you control and softened toward what you don’t. By the end of this episode, you’ll see that Stoicism isn’t a cold philosophy of detachment, but a way of living wisely, steadily, and with quiet confidence, one day at a time.

Listen to the full episode now and discover how New Year’s reflection can transform the way you think, act, and see your life.

Read the companion article: [insert link if available]

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Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.

In this Stoic Quotes edition, we reflect on Seneca’s On Anger, Book III, where he reports Aristotle’s concern that, without anger, the mind becomes

“indifferent to great endeavors.”
Seneca, Dialogues and Essays, On Anger, 3

Seneca introduces this idea to question it. For the Stoics, anger is not a source of strength but a disturbance of reason. It clouds judgment and pulls us away from deliberate, ethical action. The greatest endeavor is not an external achievement, but the cultivation of character. Virtue does not need anger to motivate it.

This view runs throughout Stoic philosophy. Epictetus urges us to examine impressions before giving assent, and Marcus Aurelius reminds himself to act without bitterness. Through the three Stoic disciplines, anger reflects misplaced desire, unexamined assent, and impulsive action.

In practice, this means noticing anger early, pausing before reacting, and questioning the judgments behind it. Calm commitment to virtue proves far more powerful than anger ever could.

For more, check out this related article with quotes on anger and self-control:
https://viastoica.com/10-seneca-quotes-on-anger/

And if you’re looking for more Stoic sayings, visit viastoica.com, where you’ll find hundreds of quotes with full references to the original texts:
https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes

Make sure to subscribe for more Stoic Quotes episodes every Friday, as well as our Tuesday interviews and longer discussions.
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https://viastoica.com
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Produced by: https://badmic.com

Welcome to the Via Stoica Podcast, the podcast on Stoicism.
In this episode, we explore a theme that quietly weighs on many people during this time of year: navigating the holidays alone. While the holiday season is often portrayed as a time of togetherness, joy, and celebration, it can also amplify feelings of loneliness, pressure, and comparison. The Stoics approached these moments differently, not by denying the difficulty, but by understanding it through reason, acceptance, and self-knowledge.

At the heart of this episode is the Stoic distinction between loneliness and solitude. Loneliness arises when our desires and expectations clash with reality, when we believe something essential is missing. Solitude, by contrast, is a state of inner steadiness, a calm connection with oneself that does not depend on external circumstances.

Seneca captures this beautifully when he writes:
“…we say the wise man is self-content; he is so in the sense that he is able to do without friends, not that he desires to do without them.”
Seneca, Letters from a Stoic, Letter 9

For the Stoics, this wasn’t about rejecting relationships or becoming emotionally distant, but about grounding our well-being in what truly belongs to us: our judgments, values, and character. When Seneca speaks of self-contentment, he isn’t praising isolation, but reminding us that inner stability is the foundation for meaningful connection, not its opposite.

Here are a few Stoic practices from this episode you can explore in your own life:

• Examining desires – Notice where your expectations about the holidays come from, and whether they are reasonable or imposed by social pressure.

• Reframing impressions – When thoughts of “I shouldn’t be alone” arise, pause and question the judgment behind them.

• Practicing solitude – Use time alone for reflection, rest, and reconnection with your values, rather than distraction.

• Voluntary withdrawal from comparison – Step back from social media when it fuels restlessness or self-judgment.

This episode gently reframes the holidays as an opportunity for honesty and presence. By applying the Stoic view, moments of solitude can become moments of clarity, grounding, and even quiet joy. Stoicism shows us that peace does not come from having life look a certain way, but from learning to meet life as it is, with reason and kindness toward ourselves.

Listen to the full episode now and discover how navigating the holidays alone can transform the way you think, act, and relate to yourself.

Support the show🌐 viastoica.com🎯 viastoica.com/stoic-life-coaching👤 viastoica.com/benny-voncken▶️ YouTube: @viastoica
📧 info@viastoica.com

🎙️ Produced by: badmic.com