| As Caesar overwhelmed and dismantled the Roman Republic, the Romans faced an impossible choice. Neither option was good, but it was all they had. They could allow it to happen—accept "the bridle," as Plutarch put it—and with some humiliation, hold onto their estates, their status, and their lives. Or, they could resist—desperately, hopelessly, against overwhelming odds. It's like the lyrics to the Mt. Joy song (and by the way, we had a great conversation with their lead singer Matt Quinn on the Daily Stoic podcast—check it out!): There's two ways it goes now
As our love comes crashing down
You could be the flame that burns out
Or you could turn and burn it down. Cicero chose to quietly go along. Cato refused. Both were powerless to stop what was already in motion. Caesar was too strong. The Republic had already fallen. But Cato's resistance, even at the cost of his own life, made a lasting statement. It was a declaration about freedom and principle so powerful that it inspired the Founding Fathers of the United States some 1,700 years later to build a new nation on those same ideals. A Stoic doesn't always win, but they never go quietly along. They don't default to convenience or comfort. Whether it's standing against corruption in the workplace or resisting injustices in society, a Stoic speaks out. They act with courage and conviction, not just for themselves but for the principles they believe in—and for the generations who come after them. As the Mt. Joy lyric suggests, there's always a choice: to let the flame burn out, or to keep the fire alive. That's what a Stoic does—they fight to keep the light from going out, to preserve what matters most (grab Courage Is Calling and Right Thing, Right Now for more timeless wisdom on this). Because the Republic—literal or metaphorical—matters. What you stand for, what you believe in, matters. It's worth the fight.  P.S. Make sure to check out our full conversation with Mt. Joy's Matt Quinn on the Daily Stoic Podcast (watch here, listen here), where he and Ryan discussed performance anxiety, handling success while maintaining artistic integrity, and how Stoic principles have influenced his songwriting and approach to life's challenges.
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