Nick Benas and Kortney Yasenka just put out another book: Stoicism Quotes for Mind & Body (Hatherleigh Press, 2025).

Unless you’re related to one or the other, a close friend, their literary agent, or a fan of their first collaboration, that fact at this moment probably means nothing to you. But if you read this book and take it to heart, it could mean many things.

Like more motivation. Peace of mind. Better mental health.

In November 2023, I wrote about their first book of Stoicism quotes. That article revealed how my brother and I gain all sorts of positivity by reading Stoic philosophy and then acknowledges that reading entire books of cerebral stuff is not everyone’s cup of tea.

Benas and Yasenka know that too, so here’s what they do. Compile worthwhile quotes, organize them into chapters pertaining to matters you definitely want to drink in, and preface each with a page or two about how the Stoics generally view that subject.

The chapter titles this time are Exercise, Diet & Nutrition, Motivation, Discipline, Longevity, Mental Health, and Balance. Use them as your guide ,and there’s no need to read the book in any particular order or even in its entirety — though once you read a bit I’m sure you’ll want to read it all.

I believe that because I believe that you’re just like me in this one way.

That you already know the way to think and to be to be both mentally and physically healthy, but occasionally you’d benefit from a reminder. This book can be just that.

For instance, I’m sure you know that the healthiest eating occurs when, as the authors note, you “take the time to notice the texture, taste, smell, and beauty of your food.” That when you eat, you should “slow down and view eating as something to be enjoyed, not rushed.”

But when you get home from work an hour later than expected, it’s pretty hard not to simply shove forkfuls of whatever microwaves really quickly into your mouth while chewing upon the half dozen chores that still need to get done before you can call it a night. Unless, that is, you take a moment before or during the microwaving and read a quotation or two from the chapter titled Diet & Nutrition.

Such as this observation by Seneca: “He who eats with most pleasure is he who least requires sauce.”

Similarly, if you’re lacking the desire to do those before-bed chores, you’ll benefit from reading what Benas and Yasenka say about how Stoics generate and maintain motivation. That they take on all tasks not to gain a reward or recognition, but in order to engender virtues like wisdom, courage, and justice.

It’s a “shift in focus [that] makes motivation longer lasting, as its focus is on internal values rather than fleeting outcomes.” It’s a shift also made easier if you do as Epictetus suggests: “First say to yourself what you [want] to be; and then do what you have to do.”

If your lack motivation stems from the seemingly large obstacles littering the road to task accomplishment, altering your view of those obstacles could be helpful. As could considering how Marcus Aurelius views them.

“The impediments to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”

Ironically, what sometimes stands in the way of good mental health today are the high-tech gadgets and gizmos designed to make life easier. For whether they malfunction or work just fine, in each instance you’re not really not in control — and who amongst us does not want to be in control?

That’s why it’s helpful to read the following in the preface to the chapter about mental health. “The teachings of Stoicism encourage you to focus on what you can control, accept what you can’t, and maintain a sense of inner peace regardless of external circumstance.”

While that’s obviously easier said than done, it’s made easier if you believe, as do Stoics “negative emotions come not from the event itself but from how you perceive and react to it.” Which is one of the reasons Seneca believes, “[You] suffer more from imagination than from reality.”

But you’ll also suffer if you restrain your imagination, so what you and Stoics are really seeking is balance. Which is exactly why Benas and Yasenka devote a chapter to just that. In it, you’ll read that Epictetus feels, “Moderation is the key to everything“ and Marcus Aurelius believes, “The art of living is more like dancing.”

In short, reading and then ruminating upon the right quotations can be a godsend. It can, as today’s title suggests, keep you, your body, and your mind “right.”

But let’s not forget another benefit of doing what Benas and Yasenka bring to light close their first book. That reading and then ruminating upon the right quotations can lead you to reexamine old beliefs and foster new ways of reasoning.