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Translator’s Note
In ((20250711145204-rn64215 ‘A054 Stoicism Notes—“This Philosopher Saved Me: The Stoic Life Answer Book”’)) I mentioned that I would translate another book by the author, and today I am starting it.
This is my first attempt at translation, and it’s quite brain-intensive. Salute to all translators who have brought civilization to everyone 
Original Book
A HANDBOOK FOR NEW STOICS: How to Thrive in a World Out of Your Control
Copyright © 2019 by Massimo Pigliucci and Gregory Lopez
The Experiment, LLC
220 East 23rd Street, Suite 600
New York, NY 10010-4658
Introduction
Getting Started
Mike’s 25th college reunion was supposed to be fun, but it turned into a training session on shortcomings. His classmates Aziz and Saliah have been together since dating in sophomore year, while Mike got divorced five years ago, which led to financial disputes and ongoing anxiety about romantic relationships. Mike’s former roommate Steve keeps up with his exercise routine, but his beer belly keeps growing, and his thinning hair is even more noticeable. Another roommate majored in economics and has become a company executive, while Mike is still middle management in a company that sells things he doesn’t even believe in. Mike saw success all around him, but after the cocktail party, looking at his face in the bathroom mirror, he couldn’t help but feel like a failure. “Without a doubt, I am unhappy,” he thought. “Because my life is awful, everything is awful.”
The Best Bet for Happiness
Life is full of things we want and things we want to happen. We want to lose weight, get a raise, just like those successful people around us. But for most of us, like Mike, these dreams never come true, leaving us feeling powerless, frustrated, and stuck, or worse. The things we don’t want happen frequently, from small annoyances (like traffic jams) to big problems (like illness and aging). Experiencing these unwanted events can be painful—often more painful than not getting what we want. But the pain comes from repeatedly placing bad bets, putting our happiness and health on things outside our control, like rolling dice in the universe.
What if we could train ourselves to pursue only those things that are clearly under our control? Clearly, we would always get what we want and never encounter what we don’t want. Because the cup of desire is firmly held by ourselves, our happiness will always be full.
So, here comes the fundamental question: what is completely controllable? What is absolutely certain?
The Bet: Why Choose Stoicism?
One reason is that some goals are unreliable to achieve, such as health, wealth, or the praise of others. Even if we’re lucky enough to achieve them, we would remain dissatisfied. Even if Mike became a successful executive, had a family, and attended reunions, he would still complain.
Most people can observe this in life: we eat delicious food but don’t focus on its taste; when we savor a delicacy, the joy quickly disappears and is forgotten. We must keep shifting positions on a pretty new sofa to get comfortable, but the sofa slowly gets dirty and worn out. We’re happy when we first get an entry-level position, but soon we want more. We take good care when we first get a new car, but quickly it becomes ordinary and unappreciated. We might successfully start a business, but holding onto capital or expanding causes sleepless nights. We’re infatuated with a partner today, but the seven-year itch will come. Many things we pursue neither satisfy us nor provide continuous happiness.
Even if we obtain what we desire, whether we make good use of it depends on the person’s character. People of poor character misuse external advantages like money, fame, or even the office of the U.S. president. People of good character make good use of all they have for themselves and others; their strong will helps them get through tough times, as the saying goes, “When Heaven is about to confer a great responsibility on a man, it will first exercise his mind with suffering and his sinews and bones with toil.”
This was the great insight of ancient Stoic philosophy: your character is the only thing fully under your control. You must become a person of noble character to make good use of your luck and to handle good and bad fortune. Through combining rational reflection and repeated practice, you can shape your character over the long term.
Betting on your own progress is the most rewarding and guaranteed victory, and the goal of this book is to help you achieve it.