Category: Daily Wisdom

Today’s Teacher: Zhuangzi (c. 369 – 286 BC) The Teaching Once upon a time, I, Zhuangzi, dreamt I was a butterfly, fluttering hither and thither, to all intents and purposes a butterfly. I was conscious only of my happiness as a butterfly, unaware that I was Zhuangzi. Suddenly, I awoke, and lay there, Zhuangzi once more.…

Today’s Teacher: Hypatia of Alexandria (c. 360 – 415 AD) The Teaching Reserve your right to think, for even to think wrongly is better than not to think at all.— Hypatia of Alexandria, attributed by Socrates Scholasticus Who Was Hypatia? Hypatia of Alexandria was born around 360 AD in the city that was still, in…

Today’s Teacher: Lao Tzu (c. 6th century BC) The Teaching Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished. — Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching Who Was Lao Tzu? Lao Tzu — whose name means, simply, “Old Master” — is one of the most influential thinkers in human history and one of the most elusive. We…

Today’s Teacher: Seneca (c. 4 BC – 65 AD) The Teaching It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a great deal of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.…

Today’s Teacher: Rumi (1207 – 1273) The Teaching Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing, there is a field. I’ll meet you there. — Rumi, translated by Coleman Barks Who Was Rumi? Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi was born on September 30, 1207, in Wakhsh — a city in what is now Tajikistan — into a…

Today’s Teacher: Simone Weil (1909 – 1943) The Teaching Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.— Simone Weil, First and Last Notebooks Who Was Simone Weil? Simone Weil was born in Paris on February 3, 1909, into a secular Jewish family of considerable intellectual warmth. Her brother, André Weil, became one of the…

Today’s Teacher: Epictetus (c. 50 – 135 AD) The Teaching Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens. — Epictetus, Enchiridion, Chapter 1 Who Was Epictetus? Epictetus was born around 50 AD in Hierapolis, a city in what is now western Turkey. He was born a…

March 6, 2026 Today’s Teacher: Marcus Aurelius (121 – 180 AD) The Teaching “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations Who Was Marcus Aurelius? Marcus Aurelius was the Emperor of Rome from 161 to 180 AD — and one of the most…

Holding Two Truths at Once Good morning, beautiful soul. Welcome back. I have been sitting with something this week — something that keeps returning to me every time I settle into stillness, every time I roll out my mat, every time I sit with my journal in the early hours before the rest of the…

Today’s Teacher: Søren Kierkegaard (1813 – 1855) The Teaching “Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” — Søren Kierkegaard, Journalen (Journals) Who Was Søren Kierkegaard? Søren Kierkegaard was a Danish philosopher, theologian, and cultural critic—often called the “father of existentialism.” Born in Copenhagen to a wealthy but melancholic family, Kierkegaard…

Today’s Teacher: Leonardo da Vinci (1452 – 1519) The Teaching “Learning never exhausts the mind.” — Leonardo da Vinci Who Was Leonardo da Vinci? Leonardo da Vinci was a Renaissance polymath—painter, sculptor, architect, scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, geologist, cartographer, botanist, and writer. He painted the Mona Lisa and The Last Supper, designed flying machines…

Today’s Teacher: Harriet Tubman (c.1822 – 1913) The Teaching “Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember, you have within you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world.” — Harriet Tubman Who Was Harriet Tubman? Harriet Tubman was born into slavery in Maryland around 1822.…

Today’s Teacher: Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) The Teaching “To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson Who Was Ralph Waldo Emerson? Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the transcendentalist movement in the…

Today’s Teacher: Eleanor Roosevelt (1884 – 1962) The Teaching “No one can make you feel inferior without your consent.” — Eleanor Roosevelt Who Was Eleanor Roosevelt? Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was one of the most influential and transformative figures of the 20th century—diplomat, activist, writer, and the longest-serving First Lady of the United States. But her…

Today’s Teacher: Bertrand Russell (1872 – 1970) The Teaching “The fundamental cause of the trouble is that in the modern world the stupid are cocksure while the intelligent are full of doubt.” — Bertrand Russell Who Was Bertrand Russell? Bertrand Russell was a British philosopher, mathematician, logician, historian, social critic, and political activist—one of the…

Today’s Teacher: Mahatma Gandhi (1869 – 1948) The Teaching “Be the change that you wish to see in the world.” — Often attributed to Gandhi (paraphrased from his actual writings) Who Was Mahatma Gandhi? Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in British-ruled India in 1869. He studied law in London, worked as a lawyer in South…

Today’s Teacher: Edward Earle Purinton (1878 – 1942) The Teaching “The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude, to me, is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than successes, than what other people think or…

Today’s Teacher: Mary Oliver (1935 – 2019) The Teaching “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” — Mary Oliver, “The Summer Day” Who Was Mary Oliver? Mary Oliver was an American poet who spent most of her life in relative obscurity, walking in the woods, paying…