The Stoics made a daring claim: the only real good is a good character, acting with courage, fairness, honesty, and wisdom. Everything else, money, health, reputation, comfort, is preferred but not essential to a well-lived life. This sounds extreme until you notice the relief in it. If your good depends on things going your way, you're at the mercy of luck forever. But the part that's actually up to you, how you choose to act, can stay good even on a terrible day. You can't always win, but you can always act well. That's where the Stoics put their happiness, on the one ground no one could take.

Inspired by the old idea of virtue as the only good. Written by Ugo Charles.