While my goal in studying stoicism has little to do with happiness and more to do with character development, I found this comparison interesting. In the introduction for A handbook for new Stoics the author starts on the dichotomy of control (without calling it that, yet) and the idea of placing our happiness in external things is akin to betting for a favorable outcome in a game that is entirely of chance.

The concept is that investing in externals is the same as betting because there is no control over the outcome. If you are instead betting on something you do control, eg yourself, then you control the odds, and you win.

Furthermore, even when you win you may not be winning anything useful as:

│ Even if we achieve the objects of our transient desires, it doesn't guarantee

│ we will use them well. page 2

Tags: stoic

created: 2023-01-18

(re)generated: 2026-07-17