The Female Stoic Podcast looks at Female Stoics in Literature and uses Stoic principles to empower and cultivate a peaceful mindset.
In this episode I answer a question sent by Kayleigh from Birmingham.
Is success all about money? she asks. Without it I obviously cannot survive. But I don’t have the drive to be rich. Does this mean I can’t be successful as a 21st century woman if I’m just happy paying the bills and living my life?
Today I look at a quote from Elizabeth montagu to answer this.
Elizabeth Montagu was the wealthiest and most influential founder of the Bluestocking Group - a small organization of privileged women who gathered together from about 1750 onwards to discuss literature and the arts. She gave female thinkers and creatives the recognition and financial security they struggled to find elsewhere in a society that then rebuffed female intellectuals.
Together, her and her friends advocated for female education at a time it was seen as unbecoming.
We know the Bluestockings were interested in the stoic philosophy, because one of these friends was Elizabeth Carter, who famously translated the (Handbook) of Epictetus, a Greek Stoic philosopher of the 1 st and early 2 nd centuries
This epic endeavour by Carter made Stoic philosophy more accessible to the Bluestockings and influenced their thinking on virtue, reason, and self-control.
The Muses crown virtue when Fortune refuses to do it – says Elizabeth montagu
What she is saying here is, true, lasting recognition and honour come from the realm of art, creativity, and intellectual achievement (symbolized by the Muses), rather than from fleeting luck or worldly success (represented by Fortune). she’s implying that while external circumstances might not always favour us who practise virtue, our contributions and inherent worth are acknowledged and celebrated by those who appreciate true excellence.
If we maintain out virtue, that adherence to our core set of morals and values that we hold close to use within our stoic circle of control.
The Stoic circle of control, also known as the dichotomy of control, is a philosophical concept that divides all things into two categories: those within our control and those outside of it. It emphasizes focusing our efforts and energy on what we can influence (our thoughts, actions, and responses) while accepting what we cannot (external events, other people's actions).
Understanding the Dichotomy:
- Things within our control:
These are our internal states – our thoughts, judgments, motivations, desires, and reactions to situations. We have direct control over how we choose to think, feel, and act.
- Things outside our control:
These are external events, other people's actions and opinions, the past, and the future. We cannot directly dictate these things, and trying to do so leads to frustration and unhappiness.
Read my stoic blog @ www.neworldbooks.co.uk
Keywords for this podcast:
Elizabethmotagu
thefemalestoic
stephaniepoppins
stoicism
stoicphilosophy
bluestocking
janeausten
charlottebronte
literature
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bookstagram
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empowerment
