Wait before you form your opinion
Published in
1 min readSep 29, 2018
“Don’t let the force of an impression when it first hits you knock you off your feet; just say to it, “Hold on a moment; let me see who you are and what you represent. Let me put you to the test.”- Epictetus
Similar to a well-known Zen analogy about the cup of muddy water, the longer you let it still, the more the mud will settle down and the water will be seen clearly. This is how our mind works.
When things happen, don’t go with your first opinion or lock in your understanding of them based on your initial reaction. Let there be a pause. Put your impressions up to the test, even if that test is only the passage of time. You will see things more clearly this way. [Newsletter from Daily Stoic]
