
Day 145: Why You React Before You Think—And What to Do About It | Dying Every Day
From Dying Every Day (Stoicism in a Year) by Perennial Leader Project
May 6, 2026 · 12 min · Episode 146
About this episode
This episode discusses the concept of assent in Stoicism and how it affects our reactions to impressions.
📮 Want tools for the art of living? Sign up here: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Welcome back to Dying Every Day. This is Day 145. Epictetus identified three key disciplines: desire, action, and assent, with assent being the most crucial. He described assent as the mind’s act of accepting an impression—saying yes to it, recognizing it as real and meaningful, and responding accordingly. Every moment, impressions arrive. Not the dramatic ones—those are easy to see coming. The ones that test the discipline are smaller and faster. [...] --- 🖇️ Stay Connected: Newsletter: https://perennial.substack.com/subscribe Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/perennialmeditations/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@PerennialMeditations --- 🦉 Additional Resources: Perennial Meditations archive: https://perennial.substack.com/archive Listen to more podcasts: https://www.perennialleader.com/podcasts
People in this episode
Host: Perennial Leader Project
Topics covered
- Stoicism
- assent
- discipline
- philosophy
- self-improvement
Keywords
- Stoicism
- Epictetus
- assent
- discipline
- reaction
- philosophy
- self-improvement
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