Stoic Quote: “Difficulties are the things that show what men are.”

The Via Stoica Podcast: Stoic quotes series

In the Stoic quotes series, we take a look at what the Stoics said and uncover the wisdom they left behind. We look at the famous writings from Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and more.

In this episode, we reflect on a powerful quote from Epictetus, Discourses, Book 1, Chapter 24:

“Difficulties are the things that show what men are.”

What does this quote really mean? How do we respond when life gets hard? And why did the Stoics welcome adversity rather than avoid it? In this episode, Benny dives into the deeper meaning of this short but profound line and shares how it ties into training, character, and the ultimate test of a person’s philosophy.

You’ll also hear about Stoic comparisons to athletes training for the Olympics, parallels with Seneca’s view on misfortune, and how this mindset shift, from victimhood to voluntary trial, can completely change your experience of hardship.

If you want to read more about this quote and its deeper implications, visit our full article:
https://viastoica.com/the-stoic-view-on-overcoming-difficulties/

And if you're looking for more quotes like this one, visit viastoica.com. We have hundreds of Stoic sayings with full references from Epictetus, Seneca, Marcus Aurelius, and more:

https://viastoica.com/stoic-quotes/
https://viastoica.com/seneca-quotes/
https://viastoica.com/epictetus-quotes/
https://viastoica.com/marcus-aurelius-quotes/

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