This signed edition of an instant classic from author Phil Van Treuren is available only from Stoic Simple Press.

A Stoic fable for life-lovers young and old.

The Stock Horse and the Stable Cat tells the story of two friends who have very different opinions about what should be called “good” and “bad.” As they walk on the ranch together one autumn day, they gradually realize that their own stubborn opinions of the world might not be the only way to see things.

Hundreds of years after the Stoic philosopher Epictetus spoke these famous words about the power of our own perceptions, William Shakespeare made a similar observation. “There is nothing either good or bad, but thinking makes it so,” he wrote in Hamlet.

The horse and cat come to the same conclusion thanks to their journey together. The fable ends as they reach a simple agreement: the world can be viewed through any type of lens they choose.

The Fables of Eudaimonia series

The Stock Horse and the Stable Cat is the premier volume of Stoic Simple’s Fables of Eudaimonia book series, which introduces the most basic, life-changing concepts of Stoicism to a modern audience with charming stories and captivating artwork.

Each fable in the series focuses on a fundamental principle of Stoic teaching with rich, delightful illustrations that will be loved by adults and children alike.

Marcus Aurelius on “good and bad”

The lesson in The Stock Horse and the Stable Cat is best reflected by a passage that Roman Emperor and Stoic thinker Marcus Aurelius wrote to himself nearly two thousand years ago: “If we limited ‘good’ and ‘bad’ to our own actions, we’d have no call to challenge Fate, or to treat others as enemies.”

What if the secret to living a happier life was simply changing our attitude about the things we experience?

A Stoic fable for life-lovers young and old.

The Fables of Eudaimonia series

Marcus Aurelius on “good and bad”