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The art of minding your own business: 8 habits of peaceful people

From Marcus Aurelius to Mencius, ancient thinkers drew a careful line between meddling and caring. Here are eight habits for knowing which business is yours.

By Lachlan Brown · November 2, 2026

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The art of minding your own business: 8 habits of peaceful people

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From the magazine

8 phrases gracious people use to handle a rude comment without getting rude back

Most of us walk away from a conversation convinced the other person liked us less than we liked them; researchers call it the "liking gap," and in study after study they actually liked us more

In 1859, Abraham Lincoln told a crowd of Wisconsin farmers about an Eastern king who asked his wise men for one sentence that would always be true. They gave him: "And this, too, shall pass away."

Thought of the day from Stoic philosopher Epictetus: “Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions, which they form concerning thing.”

New to philosophy? Start here.