The Stoic Manual

The Stoic Manual

The Past Will Destroy You if You Don't Let Go

You can just decide, right now, to be a better person.

Stoic Philosophy's avatar
Stoic Philosophy
Apr 16, 2026
∙ Paid
Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion, an Orthopedic Surgery Procedure. We did this cervical spine surgery with my mentor for a patient on Friday and it illuminated the beauty of medicine, craft mastery and human excellence in me. It seems effortless but you have to be very careful not to paralyze the patient. The accuracy of the screws here is uncanny. This is what peak performance for a surgeon looks like. See, if he didn’t demand the best from himself, day in- day out, this procedure wouldn’t be possible. The patient wouldn’t have benefitted. And thus, the same goes for us, we should overcome the gravity of our lower impulses and use our virtues to propel us to the heights of a great destiny. Yes we can. For as Aristotle said, excellence is merely a habit, and all we have to do is persist and resist in the highest of pursuits. Anything we dream of is within reach.

“No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I…

User's avatar

Continue reading this post for free, courtesy of Stoic Philosophy.

Or purchase a paid subscription.
© 2026 The Stoic Manual · Privacy ∙ Terms ∙ Collection notice
Start your SubstackGet the app
Substack is the home for great culture