You can find a complete listing of all the articles on this site here. They are listed in reverse chronological order, and are all clickable links. Twenty-five articles are displayed per page, with the publication date included. To find older articles, click on the page numbers at the bottom.
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The Complete Lecture Series On “Stoic Paradoxes” And “On Moral Ends”
In 2015 and 2018, I made a series of podcasts discussing Cicero’s Stoic Paradoxes and On Moral Ends. In response to continuing interest and questions, I thought it would be useful to provide all the links to these lectures in one place. Having all of them consolidated can be a real convenience, and I want…
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Having Too Many Choices, And Falling Into Ruts (Podcast)
A reader has some questions about some possible choices in his life. We comment on this, and talk about: (1) how having too many choices can inhibit progress; (2) why you should focus on internals, and not externals; (3) why character and determination are all-important; and (4) how you need to shock yourself out of…
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The Humor And Wisdom Of Ibn Sabir Al-Manjaniki
Ibn Sabir Al-Manjaniki’s full name was Abu Yusuf Ibn Sabir Ibn Hauthara Al-Manjaniki; we note it here for completeness, and will not repeat it again. He was also known in some circles by the surname Najm Al-Din, which means “star of religion.” He was born in Baghdad in January 1159, and spent his early life…
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“Why Do I Feel Regret?” (Podcast)
A reader asks why he feels pangs of regret for not yet being married and having a family. I respond by explaining that (1) everyone’s path is different; (2) if you really wanted to do it, you would do it; (3) the real reason for your regret is a deeper one, and lies elsewhere, and…
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Sooner Or Later, Everyone Must Take A Side
The Athenian statesman and lawgiver Solon is said to have enacted an unusual law in 594 B.C. The essence of the law was that, in times of civil conflict or crisis, every citizen had to take one side or another. Neutrality was not an option; one could not “sit on the sidelines” and wait things…
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Getting Your Mind Right (Podcast)
Are you holding yourself accountable every day by living a good life, a productive life? Are your actions congruent with your words? We talk about that slime bag mentality, how it holds you back, and how those little voices in your head can lead you down the path of vices. There are no shortcuts, no…
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The Tomb Of The Scipios
When one considers the veneration that the ancient Romans had for their ancestors, it seems incredible that the tomb of the Scipios—one of the city’s most illustrious families—should be shrouded in such neglect and mystery. And yet this is precisely the case. One senses that the family and the city endured a bitter divorce, from…
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The Sources Of Anger (Podcast)
In this podcast we talk about the origins of anger, and how to manage your anger issues. It’s not a time for sugar-coating things, and telling you what you want to hear. Most anger can be traceable to one or more of these factors:
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A Terrible Storm Destroys Octavian’s Fleet
In the modern era we tend to minimize or downplay the influence of weather and geography on human activity. In earlier periods of history, armies and fleets had a much more intimate relation with the inconstancy of the natural world. Ancient man could not insulate himself from the ocean’s surges, the sky’s furies, or the…
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How Art Can Inspire Great Deeds
In this podcast, I talk about the documentary film Sad Hill Unearthed, and what conclusions we should draw from it. The movie describes how four friends found and restored the cemetery in Spain used for the iconic climax of the 1965 Sergio Leone film The Good, The Bad, And The Ugly. We discuss how art…
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“Digest” Is Now Available
Digest is available in paperback, hardcover, and Kindle editions. This comprehensive (713 pages), annotated, illustrated, and fully indexed collection includes all of Quintus Curtius’s important essays from 2016 to January 2020. Some of the essays have been expanded. The range of topics is diverse and compelling, and includes history, moral and ethical philosophy, travel and…
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Greed Is Always Their Undoing
In the first book of the Panchatantra (the classic Sanskrit collection of moral fables), the writer, Vishnu Sarma, mentions “five evils” that can befall an individual or a state: absence or dearth; rebellion; addiction; calamities; and tactical inversions. Each of these is explained in the following way.
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Petrarch Counsels A Ruler On The Ends Of Power
Giacomo Bussolari was born to a poor family in Pavia, Italy around 1300. A natural gift for oratory augmented the modest opportunities available to him; and he found in the Augustinian order a vehicle for the expression of his ambitions. During the 1350s he was a leading figure in the city, even rising to command…
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“I’m Thinking About Doing Something, But Don’t Know If It’s A Waste Of Time And Money” (Podcast)
I often get questions from readers asking if they should do seminars, courses, retreats, take classes, or things like this. It’s a great question. My thoughts are these: (1) Everyone has different motivational needs and requirements; (2) Your resources and time are limited; (3) You should experiment with different things to find out what works,…
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The Travels And Achievements Of Giovanni Belzoni
Giovanni Battista Belzoni ranks as one of the most unexpected and fascinating of European travelers. With little formal experience and education, he managed not only to explore and document various parts of the Arab world, but also to carry out engineering and logistical feats that would have daunted even the trained professionals of his era. …
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Ringing In 2020: A New G Manifesto Tweet Reading
We’re ringing in the new year with another G Manifesto tweet reading (even though he’s already in 2022). The topics are: custom suits, nootropics, game meats, mountain villages, ocean swims, beautiful girls, and avoiding weesh dudes. What more can be said? Kick back, have a drink or two, and laugh along with us! Life is…
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What Knowledge Comes To Us From Dreams?
Arthur Conan Doyle’s sinister short story “The Leathern Funnel” deals with a phenomenon called psychometry: the supposed ability of material objects associated with emotionally charged experiences to preserve and transmit a record of such events. Published in 1900, the tale begins innocently enough with a meeting between friends, then slowly builds to an ominous crescendo…
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T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men”: A Reading
No short literary effort quite captures the shadowy nothingness, the husk-like, desiccated essence of modern man, as well as T.S. Eliot’s “The Hollow Men.” This is my reading of his poem.
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Movie Roundup (1/12/2020) (Podcast)
In this movie roundup we discuss “1917” (2019), “Earthquake Bird,” (2019), and “Furthest Witness” (2017).
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Accountability And Discipline Must Apply Equally To All
Yacub Ibn Al-Laith Al-Saffar (يعقوب بن الليث الصفار) lived from A.D. 840 to 879, and is credited as the founder of the Saffarid dynasty of Sistan. Sistan is the geographic area now known as eastern Iran and southern Afghanistan; its capital was the city of Zaranj. The word saffar in Arabic means “brass founder,” an…
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If You Cannot Be Great, At Least Do No Harm
Aesop tells us a story of a hunter who was once looking for the tracks of a lion. Searching here and there with no success, he paused to ask a local woodcutter if he had seen the footprints of a lion, and, if so, where he thought the lion’s den might be found. The woodcutter…
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Movie Roundup 1/5/2020 (Podcast)
In this roundup, we discuss four recent movies: Mike Wallace Is Here (2019) Destroyer (2018) At Eternity’s Gate (2019) Meeting Gorbachev (2018) Tune in for the discussion! Trailers for each film are shown below.
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Never Surrender What Is Most Important
There is a fable in Aesop that involves the behavior of the beaver. In ancient times, beavers were often hunted for the scented oil, known as castorea, that was found in sacs near its genital area. The beaver liked to rub its hind parts against trees and logs, thereby possessively marking them with his scent;…
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The Instituto Ricardo Brennand, And The Praia Dos Carneiros
The Instituto Ricardo Brennand is a Recife cultural institution containing a museum, library, and armory. Founded in 2002, it is an impressive complex and well worth the visit. I always try to see local museums when I travel, and I was glad that I came here.
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The Most Popular Posts At Fortress Of The Mind For 2019
It’s inventory and round-up time of the year again: time to do some record-keeping and list the most viewed posts here at Fortress of the Mind. The list below is a pure ranking. It includes not only essays, but also podcasts. The first post listed (“A G Manifesto Tweet Reading”) was number one, and is…
Original copy of Cicero’s De Officiis (On Duties) published in Holland in 1642. From the collection of Fortress of the Mind.
Quintus Curtius 
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