June 09, 2026

Lead me, Zeus, and you too, Destiny, wherever I have been assigned by you.

Cleanthes was a former boxer who studied under Zeno of Citium and eventually led the Stoic school in Athens around 260 BCE. He worked as a water-carrier at night to pay for his education, spending his days in philosophical study and practice. This line comes from his famous hymn, written during a period when Greek culture was fracturing under competing empires and philosophies, and it reflects his core conviction that wisdom begins with accepting what you cannot control rather than fighting it. For Cleanthes, discernment was not about knowing everything — it was about knowing the difference between what falls under your will and what does not.