230823 What I learned in my studies this morning 3

A theme recurring

Makes my cheeks not dry today.

It's not for sharing.

Today's Meditation:

Today's Meditation II:

Thoughts:

Tolstoy echoes Stoic thought in the first quote, though Seneca might have called them phantasia rather than lies.  Withholding assent from sudden passions, and from suspect judgments, are both firmly established Stoic teachings.

And, if Tolstoy means longer-term passions, the Stoics (and the Buddhists) also tell us that desire leads to suffering.  The less I want, the easier it is to be satisfied and happy.

As for the other, I'm pretty lenient with myself. Except for one thing.