Thomas Jefferson kept a copy of Seneca on his nightstand. George Washington staged a reproduction of a play about Cato at Valley Forge in the winter of 1777–78 to inspire the troops. John Adams liked to quote Epictetus. And, indeed, they used Stoic principles—and their knowledge of Greek and Roman history—to fortify their vision for the new nation. As much as they were making a statement for freedom, the Founders were staking their lives on the idea of virtue. The Stoic virtues—courage, justice, discipline, and wisdom. Four virtues. One principled way of living. The Stoics believed it was only by practicing these virtues together, not separately, that one could achieve “the highest good” in the world. The American experiment, based as it was on individual liberty, was also built on the necessity of virtue and honor. A people freed from the tyranny of monarchy still needed to be checked by their own morality and philosophy. “Avarice, ambition, revenge…” John Adams said, “would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net.” Many years later, another American president, Dwight Eisenhower, would express it perfectly when he said that freedom was better defined as the “opportunity for self-discipline.” We still had to, in Marcus Aurelius’ words, fight to be the person philosophy tried to make us. The Founders were delegating a staggering responsibility to the people when they freed us from the yoke of the king. They were giving the people a gift, to be sure, but also a defining obligation—to be good citizens, good people, good leaders of ourselves, and stewards of our collective resources. This responsibility falls on each of us, no matter where in the world we live or what form of government we’re under. Because what matters is what we should do—what virtue demands of each of us. What matters is, as Marcus said, “good character and works for the common good.” So today, as we celebrate the 250th Anniversary of the United States, take a moment to reflect on this relationship between freedom and virtue. What does it mean to approach your life with the courage, discipline, justice, and wisdom that guided the Founding Fathers? In what ways have we as a nation fallen short of the responsibilities that come with freedom? Let today be more than a celebration—let it be a recommitment to the values that make our collective freedom possible. A recommitment to self-mastery, to taking responsibility, to truth, to work, to duty and service. The work of choosing virtue when it would be easier not to, of living up to the responsibilities that this nation demands, of proving worthy of the liberty we’ve inherited. For only through this work can this great experiment in freedom—this one country made up of many states, many cultures, many people, and many defining principles—continue. P.S. We don’t usually send a Saturday email (unless it’s a special occasion like today), but if you'd like to receive them, weekend meditation emails are one of the benefits of Daily Stoic Life, our global community built for those committed to not just reading about Stoicism—but living it. Daily Stoic Life members receive one meditation email each day of the week, access to both our private digital platform and every course we offer (over $800 value!), as well as exclusive content and a hardcover collection of the year’s best Daily Stoic meditations. Learn more and join us at dailystoic.com/life.
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