There may be nothing new under the sun (which is, itself, an observation from Ecclesiastes 1:9), but I’m still sometimes surprised by how modern a lot of ancient wisdom reads.

Consider this bit, from Epectitus’ The Art of Living, which could have been pulled from any of today’s bestselling self-help tomes:

“It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. If you have a daybook, write down who you’re trying to be, so that you can refer to this self-definition. Precisely describe the demeanor you want to adopt so that you may preserve it when you are by yourself or with other people.”