The Stoics placed great emphasis on developing moral character, wisdom, and resilience through practicing four key virtues:
1. Wisdom - Discernment, perspective, decisiveness
2. Courage - Bravery, resilience, justice, facing fears
3. Temperance - Self-control, moderation, modesty
4. Justice - Social conscience, ethics, humanity
They believed living virtuously was the supreme human good and way to transcend destructive emotions:
- Wisdom transforms adversity into growth and discernment.
- Courage provides the mental fortitude to act ethically when facing social pressure.
- Temperance counteracts greed, lust, gluttony, vanity and other excesses.
- Justice pursues moral duty regardless of social status, reputation, or convenience.
Regular examination of conscience and focus on virtue provides a moral compass for character development and wise decision-making. Understand how Stoic virtue ethics enrich modern psychology.