Marcus, who fell short of his own ideals constantly, kept a kind rule for himself: when you have been knocked off course, return. Not with shame, not with a long lecture, just return to the principles you meant to live by, again and again. The point was never to be perfect. It was to keep coming back. You will lose your patience today, or your focus, or your kindness. That is not the end of the practice; it is the practice. The Stoic path is not a clean line but a series of returns. So when you notice you have slipped, skip the self-attack. Just begin again, gently, from exactly where you are, as many times as it takes.

Inspired by the old idea of return to principles. Written by Ugo Charles.