What would the great Stoics say about indulging in donuts (and other pleasurable treats)?
“Eat to live, not love to eat.” – SocratesOne donut won’t ruin your discipline. Ten might…
It got everyone thinking, how do you balance discipline with enjoyment?
And truthfully, this is one of those questions that cuts right to the center of Stoicism. Because the Stoics never told us to live joyless lives. They just warned us not to live ruled by pleasure.
If you brought a box of donuts to ancient Rome, here’s how it likely would’ve gone:
Epictetus would’ve said: “If you eat, eat like a human being, not like a beast.” Translation: have the donut, but stop when reason says, enough.
Marcus Aurelius would’ve said: “Don’t be ruled by it.” Eat it, appreciate it, but don’t let it pull your strings.
Seneca would’ve said: “The wise man uses wealth, not is used by it.” So, enjoy the treat, but don’t need it.
Musonius “
Stay Hard” Rufus would’ve probably sighed at all of us and said, “Indulgence makes you soft.” (He’d be the guy eating barley bread while lecturing everyone about self-control.)
The point is: the Stoics weren’t anti-pleasure. They were pro-reason. They believed discipline isn’t about saying no to everything, it’s about being able to stop at one donut instead of ten.
So tomorrow morning, if you find yourself tempted by the box in the kitchen, remember this: the goal isn’t to live without pleasure. It’s to live without being controlled by it.
Have your donut. Just don’t let the donut have you.