Virtue
I think vital religion has always suffered when orthodoxy is more regarded than virtue. The scriptures assure me that at the last day we shall not be examined on what we thought but what we did.
~Benjamin Franklin
1. “TEMPERANCE. Eat not to dullness; drink not to elevation.”
2. “SILENCE. Speak not but what may benefit others or yourself; avoid trifling conversation.”
3. “ORDER. Let all your things have their places; let each part of your business have its time.”
4. “RESOLUTION. Resolve to perform what you ought; perform without fail what you resolve.”
5. “FRUGALITY. Make no expense but to do good to others or yourself; i.e., waste nothing.”
6. “INDUSTRY. Lose no time; be always employ’d in something useful; cut off all unnecessary actions.”
7. “SINCERITY. Use no hurtful deceit; think innocently and justly, and, if you speak, speak accordingly.”
8. “JUSTICE. Wrong none by doing injuries, or omitting the benefits that are your duty.”
9. “MODERATION. Avoid extremes; forbear resenting injuries so much as you think they deserve.”
10. “CLEANLINESS. Tolerate no uncleanliness in body, cloaths, or habitation.”
11. “TRANQUILLITY. Be not disturbed at trifles, or at accidents common or unavoidable.”
12. “CHASTITY. Rarely use venery but for health or offspring, never to dullness, weakness, or the injury of your own or another’s peace or reputation.”
13. “HUMILITY. Imitate Jesus and Socrates.”
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A Manly Character

Manly character is not performance or bravado. It is bearing. Formed in restraint, silence, duty, and obscurity. Shaped most at home, under pressure, and without applause. Drawing on Stoic wisdom, this essay explores the quiet cost of choosing formation over reaction and holding one’s line when drift is easier. Continue reading
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Field Research: Year Bearing

This Field Note invites a quiet pause at the start of the year. Rather than setting goals, it encourages readers to name their current roles, choose a clear direction, and take one small step forward. Year Bearing begins not with ambition, but with orientation and attention. Continue reading
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Agency — The Turning Point

Agency is the hidden strength beneath every virtue, the power to direct your life rather than drift through it. After thirteen weeks of practiced discipline, this is the turning point: intention, responsibility, discipline, courage, and self-government rising into a directed life. Agency is yours. Use it with purpose. Continue reading
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Virtue Series | Week 13 – Humility

Humility steadies a man. It clears pride, sharpens vision, and anchors daily life in truth. It strengthens relationships, shapes leadership, and opens the heart to God’s guidance. This virtue frees us from performance and invites us into teachability, service, and quiet strength. Humility is the ground where grace does its best work. Continue reading
A.W. Tozer, Agency, Andrew Murray, Apostle James, Apostle Paul, Benjamin Franklin, C.S. Lewis, Character, Christianity, Epictetus, Faith, G.K. Chesterton, Humility, J.R.R. Tolkien, Jesus, Joacko Willink, Leadership, Marcus Aurelius, Oswald Chambers, Personal Development, Prophet Micah, Quotes, Resolution, Saint Augustine, Seneca, Socrates, Thomas A Kempis, Virtue, Writers -
Sunday Evening Collective ~ November 16th Edition

Attention rarely collapses in a moment; it drifts. This edition explores how distraction, comfort, and noise thin our depth, but how choosing presence strengthens it. From Lewis to Paul Taylor, we’re reminded that attention is stewardship. Notice the drift, choose the harder path, and stay awake to what matters. Continue reading
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Virtue Series | Week 12 – Chastity

Chastity is disciplined strength; the governance of desire. Franklin understood that unchecked appetite weakens resolve, dulls clarity, and harms peace. This virtue calls us to direct our energy toward creation, integrity, and honor. Freedom comes not from indulgence but from mastery; a life with nothing to hide and nothing to fear. Continue reading
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Sunday Evening Collective ~ November 9th Edition

Rest is not weakness—it’s wisdom. This week’s Collective explores the body’s natural rhythm and how light, dark, and stillness restore strength. From Huberman’s sleep science to Hammock’s quiet soundscapes, we’re reminded that recovery isn’t retreat but readiness. Step into rhythm again, and let rest rebuild what effort cannot. Continue reading
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Virtue Series | Week 11 – Tranquility

Franklin’s eleventh virtue calls for disciplined calm amid life’s noise. Tranquility isn’t escape—it’s strength under control. Through composure, restraint, faith, and endurance, we learn to stay steady when others rush. True peace is not the absence of trouble but mastery of self within it. Continue reading

Advent Adventure Agency Albums Andrew Huberman Apostle James Apostle Paul Aristotle Art of Manliness Benjamin Franklin Books Breathing C.S. Lewis Challenges Character Christianity Christmas Courage Creativity Culture Desert Island Music Discipline Emerson Epictetus Failure Faith Focus Frederick Buechner G.K. Chesterton Goals God Goethe Goodreads Gratitude Habit Hammock Health & Fitness History Honor Hope Humility Industry Interviews J.R.R. Tolkien Jack London James Clear Jeff Olson Jesus John Eldredge Justice Kipling Laird Hamilton Leadership Love Manliness Marcus Aurelius Mark Twain Mental Toughness Mindfulness Money Music Music 80’s Music 1980 Music 1981 Music 1987 Non-fiction Oliver Wendell Holmes Orison Swett Marden Oswald Chambers Peace Personal Development Politics Prophet Isaiah Quotes Recovery Resolution Resurrection Band Rick Rubin Routines & Rituals Rush Saint Augustine Saint Thomas Aquinas Samuel Johnson Self-Reliance Seneca Silence T. S. Elliot The Choir Theodore Roosevelt The Police Thomas A Kempis Thoreau Tim Ferriss Training U2 Virtue Willpower Winston Churchill WODs Writers