There is an anecdote found in Valerius Maximus (VI.2.10) that calls our attention to the difference between the respective powers of raw force and steady patience. A brutal consul named Cnaeus Carbo was threatening to put the city of Placentia under siege. He ordered a city magistrate named Marcus Castricius to give him hostages as part of his campaign of destruction.
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The political philosopher Ibn Zafar, in his masterful treatise Consolation for the Ruler During the Hostility of his Subjects, states as follows:
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There is an unintentionally amusing passage in a letter Petrarch sent to his brother Gherardo in 1349. In it, the harried scholar pours out his frustration at the antagonistic and insulting behavior of his servants:
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Some of our most painful experiences can be the unexpected dissolution of friendships once thought to be robust and dependable. The memories of shared joys persist, troubling our consciences with conflicting and perplexing emotions. How did the collapse happen? What degree of culpability do I share in this outcome? What, if anything, might have been done differently? These thoughts, and many more like them, haunt and oppress our retrospective inquiries.
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I recently watched a compelling four-part Netflix documentary entitled Crime Scene: The Vanishing At The Cecil Hotel. I had never heard of the Elisa Lam story before, and I was struck by how tragic it was, on so many levels. In this podcast, I try to explain why. What are your thoughts? What do you think about it?
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My new collection of essays, Centuries, was published on June 23, 2024. It contains all pieces published between 2020 and 2023. The book is currently available in both paperback and Kindle, and a hardcover version will be coming shortly. This podcast is a reading from the book’s preface. It distills some of the ideas I consider most important.
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Centuries, the complete collection of my essays from 2020 to 2023, was released today. The book is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. The essays deal with varied topics in moral philosophy, history, and biography. In addition to essays, the volume also includes a special collection of aphorisms and maxims under the chapter “Gnomology.” An enduring source of practical wisdom and inspiration, these timeless writings are unified by, and imbued with, a passionate belief in direct experience, moral structure, and endurance in adversity. The full table of contents can be found here.
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Nietzsche is one of the most popular and discussed of the modern philosophers. He tends to be highly polarizing: some see him as a kind of secular saint, while others see him as a laughable poseur. I wanted to give my own thoughts on his life, ideas, and place in the history of thought.
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How To Get Over A Breakup: An Ancient Guide To Moving On, by Ovid. Translated and introduced by Michael Fontaine. Princeton University Press, 2024. Available in hardcover, Kindle, and audiobook.
Ovid is the most famous of the amorous poets of Rome’s literary Golden Age. What distinguishes him from his approximate contemporaries Tibullus and Propertius is his depth of insight, and this is why we still read him today.
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According to the biographer Ibn Khallikan, the poet Ibrahim Al-Suli (?—857 A.D.) was once employed by a caliph to compose a threatening letter to some rebellious subjects. The letter contained the following words:
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Quintus Curtius 
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