It’s July 4th, 1776. Think about where America was in that moment: Blood in the streets. A revolution against an empire. Families ripped apart because a war forced them to choose sides. Hopeful successes on the battlefield repeatedly followed by dispiriting defeats. The uncertainty of victory, shrouded in the certainty of death and misery and …

In Aaron Thier’s wonderful new novel, The World Is A Narrow Bridge (out today—do read it), there is a scene where Eva and Murphy, the two young prophets of the god Yahweh, are sent on a mission that terrifies them. As they begin the mission, Eva and Murphy are approached by Satan, who has been sent by …

All too often we follow the news as a kind of spectator sport—enjoying the misfortunes of others. Not only is this in bad taste, it’s a wasted opportunity. What we should do when we see others run into trouble (besides helping) is to learn from their example. Bismarck famously observed that while any fool can …

Perhaps you’ve seen this little phrase floating around the internet these days: “If you’re not outraged, you’re not paying attention!” What preposterous nonsense. Enough to make Marcus Aurelius turn over in his grave. First off, if you’re outraged, you’re probably paying too much attention. Second, we should always remember what the Stoics said about getting offended, that if you’re …

A recent Washington Post piece makes a startlingly sad claim: Gossip is the only monoculture left. People don’t all watch the same television shows anymore, like they did when Johnny Carson hosted The Tonight Show. They don’t hold the same bedrock beliefs about the world, like they did when liberalism (with a little “l”) was the guiding …

Around 1998, Miep Gies supplied a small note to be appended to the end of a forthcoming biography of Anne Frank. It was completely fitting that Gies have the last word on Anne Frank, given all that she had risked and sacrificed between 1942 and 1944 to provide for and supply Frank’s family as they hid …

If you’re someone who, like most of us, occasionally struggles with temptation or distraction or work aversion, there is a solution. Because the problem isn’t you, exactly, the problem is that you’re not putting yourself in the right situations. Or perhaps, more accurately stated, the problem is that you keep putting yourself in the wrongsituations. As …

Some brilliant advice on office politics from the advertising pioneer David Ogilvy: “In your day-to-day negotiations with clients and colleagues fight for the kings and queens and bishops but throw away the pawns. A habit of graceful surrender on trivial issues will make you difficult to resist on those rare occasions when you must stand …

The Japanese archery master Awa Kenzô was once sick for several months, which took him away from his craft. Finally, when he was able to get out of bed on a cold wintery day, Kenzo met with a few students eager to resume their lessons. As he spoke with them, he was suddenly beset with …