Why Anger Might Be The Worst Vice

There are many different vices out there. It’s long been a debate amongst priests and philosophers if some are worse than others, or if they are all created equal. Even amongst the Stoics there was some debate—were all sins the same? Was being or doing wrong a matter of degree, or was it black and white? It’s one of those things that vexes philosophers but is obvious to normal people. Of course some vices are worse than others. Of course there is a grey area! Welcome to life, genius. Seneca eventually concurred. As he writes in Of Anger, anger must rank fairly high on the list of vices because it has so few redeeming qualities. “It’s a worse sin than luxury,” he says, “since that is enjoyed by personal pleasure, whereas anger takes joy in another’s pain.” Malice and envy are similar, he said, because they are about wanting other people to be unhappy, not just yourself. Anger and envy are about inflicting harm on others, not just on oneself. Point being: It’s better to be a little bit Epicurean (that is, to enjoy some pleasure) than it is to be an asshole. If you’re going to sin or give in to vice, make sure it only ruins your life. Make sure it’s something internal, not something like anger—which inevitably makes itself felt by the people around you. To sin, to fall short, is one thing. To punish innocent people? Well, that’s even worse. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info. 📢 Share | ⚙️ Manage Subscription

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• 0:06Ryan Holiday?

  Welcome to The Daily Stoic, where each day we read a short passage designed to help you cultivate the strength, insight, wisdom necessary for living the good life. Each one of these passages is based on the 2,000-year-old philosophy that has guided some of history's greatest men and women. For more, you can visit us at DailyStoic.com.

• 0:29Ryan Holiday?

  Why anger might be the worst vice. There are many different vices out there. It's long been a debate amongst priests and philosophers whether some are worse than others, or if they are all created equal. Even amongst the Stoics, there was some debate. Were all sins the same? Was being or doing wrong a matter of degree, or was it black and white? It's one of those things that vexes philosophers, but is very obvious to normal people. Of course, some vices are worse than others. Of course, there is a gray area. Welcome to life, genius. Seneca eventually concurred. As he writes in Of Anger, "Anger must rank fairly high on the list of vices because it

• 1:11Ryan Holiday?

  has so few redeeming qualities. It's a worse sin than luxury," he says, "since that is enjoyed by personal pleasure, whereas anger takes joy in another's pain. Malice and envy are similar," he said, "because they are about wanting other people to be unhappy, not just yourself. Anger and envy are about inflicting harm on others, not just on oneself." Point being, it's better to be a little bit epicurean, that is, to enjoy some pleasure, than it is to be an asshole. If you're going to sin or give in to a vice, make sure it only ruins your life. Make sure it's something internal, not something like anger, which

• 1:52Ryan Holiday?

  inevitably makes itself felt by the people around you. To sin, to fall short, is one thing. To punish innocent people, well, that's even worse.

• 2:03Ryan Holiday?

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