From Virtues to Personal Values: How to Bring Stoicism Down to Earth
Introduction
The Stoics proposed four virtues as a guide for living: wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance. This blog already has an article explaining them. Yet between understanding the virtues and knowing what to do on a Tuesday afternoon lies a considerable gap. What does it mean to be courageous in an office job? How is justice practiced in a family? What form does temperance take for someone trying to look after their health?
The Stoics themselves recognized that the virtues, while the same for everyone, are expressed in different ways depending on each person's life. Cicero, following the Stoic Panaetius, insisted that each individual must know their own character and circumstances in order to know what is fitting for them.
The virtues are the general map. Personal values are your route within it.
This article builds a bridge between the two: how to translate the Stoic virtues into concrete personal values, and how to distinguish values from goals.
Values: Directions, Not Destinations
Modern psychology—especially Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)—has done extensive work on the difference between values and goals:
- A goal is something you can achieve and cross off a list: losing ten pounds, getting a promotion, finishing a course.
- A value is a direction you never finish traveling: caring for your health, growing professionally, learning.
Steven Hayes, one of the founders of ACT, uses the image of a compass: heading west is a value; reaching a specific city is a goal. You can reach many cities by heading west, but you never "finish" heading west.
This distinction fits Stoicism well. For the Stoics, virtue was not an achievement you earn once and store away, but a way of acting renewed in every decision.
Each Virtue, Many Possible Values
Wisdom
Stoic wisdom is the capacity to judge well what is good, what is bad, and what is indifferent. It can be expressed in values such as:
- Continuous learning.
- Seeking the truth even when it is uncomfortable.
- Self-knowledge.
- Thinking before acting.
Justice
Stoic justice includes fair treatment of others and duty toward the community. It can be expressed in values such as:
- Honesty.
- Generosity.
- Caring for family and friends.
- Contributing to the community.
- Treating everyone with respect, including those with less power.
Courage
Courage is not only physical bravery, but the willingness to do what is right even when it is frightening. It can be expressed in values such as:
- Speaking your mind respectfully.
- Taking reasonable risks in order to grow.
- Facing problems instead of avoiding them.
- Standing up for those who need it.
Temperance
Temperance is moderation, self-control, the ability not to be swept away by impulses. It can be expressed in values such as:
- Caring for your health.
- Living simply.
- Using money prudently.
- Keeping calm in conflicts.
- Discipline in what matters.
A Values Clarification Exercise
There are many ways to clarify your own values. Here is a simple adaptation:
1. Imagine the end. Think about how you would like to be remembered by the people close to you—not for what you owned or achieved, but for the kind of person you were. 2. Write three or four sentences. For example: "Someone you could count on," "always learning," "took care of family." 3. Connect each sentence to a virtue. Which of the four virtues stands behind it? 4. Choose five values. You can use value lists like those used in therapy; researchers have designed value card sorts specifically for this purpose. 5. Rank them. Which one is most important to you at this stage of your life?
From Values to Actions
A value that does not translate into action remains a mere statement. For each value, it helps to define:
- One action for this week. If the value is "caring for my family," perhaps it means calling your sister or cooking dinner on Sunday.
- One goal for this year. Something concrete that expresses that value.
- A warning sign. Something that tells you when you are drifting away from that value.
Reviewing Values Over Time
Values are not set in stone. What matters at twenty is not always the same as what matters at forty or seventy. Panaetius spoke of circumstances and personal choice as part of what defines each person. It is worth reviewing your values at least once a year, or whenever a major change occurs: a new job, the birth of a child, a loss.
Common Mistakes
- Confusing values with goals. "Being rich" is a goal; "providing security for my family" can be a value.
- Choosing the values you think you are supposed to have. What matters is what truly matters to you, not what sounds impressive.
- Having too many values. If everything is a priority, nothing is.
- Failing to translate them into action. A value without action changes nothing.
Conclusion
The four Stoic virtues are a shared map; personal values are how each person travels across it. Do the clarification exercise this weekend: write down how you would like to be remembered, choose five values, and connect them to the virtues. Then pick one and define a concrete action for the coming week. Repeat each Sunday with a different value.
References
- Cicero. On Duties, I.107-121.
- Marcus Aurelius. Meditations, III.6.
- Hayes, S. C., Strosahl, K. D. & Wilson, K. G. (2012). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (2nd ed.). Guilford Press.
- Miller, W. R., C'de Baca, J., Matthews, D. B. & Wilbourne, P. L. (2001). Personal Values Card Sort. University of New Mexico.
- Vázquez, M. (2019). Invicto: Logra más. Sufre menos. Fitness Revolucionario.