Temperance basically means moderation or self-control. The emperor Marcus Aurelius countlessly reminded himself not to be compulsive in his book “The Meditations”. He always said that what sets us, humans apart from animals is our ability to control our impulses. Animals are slaves to their senses and desires and he warns about external temptations that could potentially enslave us with our senses. In the modern age, drugs, alcohol and other forms of indulgence and addiction will catch us in surprise if we don’t constantly check ourselves. The stoics remind us to practice moderation in all forms whether it be wealth, fame, or exercise power.
Here is what the ancient stoics say about living your life in moderation and constantly checking your inner power to control yourself.
Top 10 Quotes About Temperance From the Ancient Stoics
1. “Stop allowing your mind to be a slave, to be jerked about by selfish impulses, to kick against fate and the present, and to mistrust the future” Meditations. 2.2
2. “And as long as nothing satisfies you, you yourself cannot satisfy others ” Letter from A Stoic 19
3. “How to Act: Never under compulsion, out of selfishness, without forethought, with misgivings. “Meditations 3.5
4. “If you do the job in a principled way, with diligence, energy and patience, if you keep yourself free of distractions, and keep the spirit inside you undamaged, as if you might have to give it back at any moment— If you can embrace this without fear or expectation—can
find fulfillment in what you’re doing now, as Nature intended, and in superhuman truthfulness (every word, every utterance)—then your life will be happy.” Meditations 3.12
5. “Hold fast, then, to this sound and wholesome rule of life—that you indulge the body only so far as is needful for good health.”
“Eat merely to relieve your hunger; drink merely to quench your thirst; dress merely to keep out the cold; house yourself merely as a protection against personal discomfort.” Letters from a Stoic
6. “It is not poverty at all. It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor” Letters from A Stoic 2
7. “Do you ask is what the proper limit to wealth is? It is, first, to have what is necessary, and, second, to have what is enough. Farewell.” Letters from A Stoic 2
8. “Our life should observe a happy medium between the ways of a sage and the ways of the world at large; all men should admire it, but they should understand it also” Letters from A Stoic
9. “He who craves riches feels fear on their account. No man, however, enjoys a blessing that brings anxiety; he is always trying to add a little more. While he puzzles over increasing his wealth, he forgets how to use it” Letters from a stoic 14
10. “ At last, then, away with all these treacherous goods! They look better to those who hope for them than to those who have attained them “Letter from a Stoic 15
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