In history, Stoicism was the first philosophy that regarded resilience as a crucial virtue. Every Stoic principle rests on the assumption that resilience delivers important benefits. Why did Stoic philosophers place resilience at the centre of their ethics? Because their pessimistic expectations had led them to view conflict, setbacks and poverty as normal events. Stoics…

It is easy to dispense advice in retrospect and tell people what they should have done. It is far more difficult to make the right decisions in real time, while being bitterly criticised and publicly attacked. Psychological pressure is hard to resist, especially when it is coming at us from all directions. Seneca knew that,…