For as long as man has lived the human race has been collecting tiny stipulations on living life. They're carved into the stone from the Temple of Apollo and etched in writing on the wall of Pompeii. They are featured in the Shakespeare plays, the commonplace book of Shakespeare as well as the book of commonplace from H. P. Lovecraft and the collection of proverbs by Erasmus, and the ceiling beams from Montaigne's study. Nowadays, they're recorded on iPhones and also on Evernote.

Whatever generation is writing it, regardless of whether they're written by scribes from China or commoners in a European prison or handed down by a thoughtful grandfather, these small epigrams of advice for life have provided essential lessons. How to deal with the challenges. The way to approach money. How to think about our mortality. How to be courageous.

They can pack everything into so few words. "What is an epigram?" Coleridge asked, "A dwarfish whole; Its body brevity, and wit its soul." Epigrams are exactly what Churchill was saying when he said: "To improve is to change, so to be perfect is to have changed often." Or Balzac: "All happiness depends on courage and work." Epigrams can be funny as well. This is why we keep them in mind. Napoleon: "Never interrupt an enemy making a mistake." Francois de La Rochefoucauld: "We hardly find any persons of good sense save those who agree with us." Voltaire: "A long dispute means that both parties are wrong."

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Here are some amazing epigrams that span 3 continents and 21 centuries. Each one is worthy of being remembered and stored in your head for the moment you're at a crossroads or for the right time in conversations. Each will evolve and change as you grow (Heraclitus: "No man steps in the same river twice") and yet, each remains steadfast and unshakeable regardless of how much you might try to get a move away from them.

In essence, all of them will show you how to become a better human. If you allow them.

"We must all go through a process of deterioration or we will rust out every one of them. My preference would be to wear down." --- Theodore Roosevelt

At the start of his career, very few would have believed the possibility that Theodore Roosevelt even could have a say on the subject. He was ill and fragile and was adored by his worried parents. A conversation with his father had him racing in a mad maniacal drive in the opposite direction. "I will make my body," said he declared, after being told that it was not possible to make it in the world with a brilliant brain with a weak body. The next few minutes were a series of hiking, boxing, hunts, horseback riding swimming, fishing, fighting the fire from enemies, and a strenuous job to be one of the most productive and well-liked leaders in American history. The epigram, as always, was a prophetic message for Roosevelt as he was only 54 his body was beginning to deteriorate. A failed attack on his life resulted in a bullet being stuck in his body, and it aggravated rheumatoid arthritis. On the famed "River of Doubt" trip, he was struck by an illness known as a tropical fever. The poisons from an infection in his leg caused him to nearly dead. After returning to America the man developed a serious throat infection and was later diagnosed with inflammatory arthritis, that temporarily restricted him to the wheelchair (saying famously, "All right! I'm able to work that way also!") and then the time came for his death at age 60. There isn't anyone on earth who will say that the man had not done a fair trade, or that it was not a good thing that he'd lived his life to the fullest and lived to the fullest over the course of the sixty years.

"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters." Epictetus

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The story is about a father who is an alcoholic with two sons. One of them follows in the footsteps of his father and is destined to live a life as an alcoholic while the other turns out to be an entrepreneur who is successful and sober. Everyone is asked, "Why are you the way you are?" The answer to both of them is identical: "Well, it's because my father was an alcoholic." The same incident and the same childhood experience with two different results. This holds true for virtually every situation. What we experience is an absolute reality, and how we react to it is a personal choice. The Stoics - of whom Epictetus of course was one of them -- believe that we aren't in control of the events that happen to us, all we can control is our thoughts and our reactions to the events that happen to us. Keep in mind that you are identified in the world of today not by luck or luck, but rather by your reaction to these occurrences. Don't believe anyone who says that you're not.

"The best revenge is not to be like that." Marcus Aurelius

There's a proverb on revenge. Before you set out to seek revenge make two graves. Because it is expensive since the pursuit of it is often a burden on the person who is envious of it. Marcus's advice is simpler and more dependable It's how much better feeling it is when you let the past go, and let the perpetrator go to their deeds. We know that Marcus Aurelius practiced this method. The time Avidius Cassius the general he trusted most, rebelled and declared himself Emperor, Marcus did not seek revenge. Instead, he viewed it as an opportunity to educate the Roman people as well as the Roman Senate on how to handle civil strife in an understanding and tolerant manner. In fact, when assassins slashed Cassius to death, Marcus supposedly wept. This is quite different from the concept that "Living well is the best revenge" It's not about apologizing to someone or showing your accomplishment to them. It's about ensuring that the person who did you wrong has no joy, and isn't happy. Don't become the same as them. Recognize yourself as different from them.

"There is good in everything if only we look for it." --Laura Ingalls Wilder. Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder, the author of the popular story Little House, lived this way, battling the most unfriendly and difficult elements of the earth that are the hard and unforgiving dirt, Indian territory, Kansas prairies, and those humid forests of Florida. Never afraid, never discouraged as she saw everything as an opportunity to explore. Everywhere she went was a chance to explore something new, to be a spirited spirit of a pioneer no matter what happened to both her or her spouse. However, she never looked at the world through romantic glasses. Instead, she determined to look at every circumstance as it might be, with a lot of perseverance and optimism. Other people choose the opposite. Keep in mind that there is nothing negative or good without us. There is only perception. Then there is the actual event and the narrative we make up about what it means.

"Character is fate." -Heraclitus

When hiring the majority of employers will examine where a candidate was educated, as well as the jobs they've held in the past. This is because the past's success could be a sign of future success. However, is it always the case? There are many individuals who have been fortunate due to luck. Perhaps they were able to get admitted to Oxford or Harvard due to their parents. And what happens to the young person who isn't able to create an impressive experience? Are they useless? Absolutely not. This is the reason the character is the best gauge of a man or woman. It is not just about jobs, however, but also about relationships, friendships, and everything else. If you want to improve your position in life, your character is the best tool -although it may not be in the immediate term, however, it is definitely over the long haul. This is also true for those who you bring into your home.

"If you see fraud and do not say fraud, you are a fraud." Nicholas Nassim Taleb

A man arrives for work at a workplace in which he is aware that the management is guilty of something or is doing something illegal. What can he do? Does he have the right to cash checks with confidence because there isn't anyone else running up the price of the stock by falsifying or faking reports or lying to coworkers? No. You cannot be able to, as Budd Schulberg states in one of his books be involved in the business of filth and not become the thing that he touches. It is important to look up an untried young man working at Theranos as an example. After he was able to spot numerous issues within the healthcare company, he was reprimanded by his senior staff and finally made contact with authorities. After that, the young victim of bullying was threatened and assaulted by Theranos and his family, but they also were forced to think about selling their home to pay legal costs. The relationship between his father and grandfather who is one of Theranos' board Theranos Board of Directors -- has become not ideal and may be irreparable. It's as Marcus Aurelius reminded himself as well as the rest of us "Just make sure you're doing the right thing. The rest is irrelevant." It's a crucial reminder. Making the right choice isn't cheap. Making the right choice could even cost you everything.

"Every man I meet is my master at some point, and in that, I learn of him." -" Ralph Waldo Emerson

Everyone has a better skill than you at certain things. This is the fact of the world. You are not the only one who is better at engaging in eye contact. Someone is more skilled than you in quantum Physics. Someone is more knowledgeable about geopolitics. Someone else is more adept than you at speaking gently to someone they do not like. There are more effective gift-givers, name-rememberers the weight-lifters, temper-controllers, confidence-builders, and even friendship-makers. There's no one who excels at any of these but who doesn't have the potential to grow in one or two of these areas. If you have the confidence to acknowledge this about yourself, then what you'll realize is that the entire world is a huge classroom. Be sure to go through your day with an attitude of openness and joy in this truth. Take every encounter as an opportunity for you to grow from your acquaintances. You'll be amazed by how quickly you improve in your knowledge and the better you will become.

"This is not your responsibility but it is your problem." Cheryl Strayed

It's not your obligation to refill a stranger's tank of gas, but if their car crashes before you, blocking your road, that's still your responsibility, isn't it? It's not your job to negotiate peace agreements for your country However, what happens when conflict is declared and you are drafted to fight the conflict? Who's the problem? Yours. It's as such. It's a way of dropping unexpected events into our lives as the result of an employee's lapse in judgment or an employee's momentary slip of judgment, or a freak weather incident -- which weren't our fault of us, but simply by virtue of being right in our laps the problem we have. So what do you plan to do? Complain? Do you plan to argue this via a blog post or in a dispute with God? Or do you want to tackle the problem in the most effective way you know how? The way you live your life will determine the way you respond to that question. Cheryl Strayed is correct. It's not your problem, but it's your issue. Accept it, take it on or kick it out of the way.

"Waste not more time debating about what a man who is a gentleman should be. You can be an example." -Marcus Aurelius. Marcus Aurelius

In Rome like in America and in the forum, just like on Facebook there was a possibility of replacing the action with arguments. To think rather than from living philosophically. In today's world filled with media, outrage, and drama, it's easier to be lost in the echo chamber of debate over what's "better." We can engage in endless debates over what's right and right. What can you do in this scenario or in another? How can we inspire other people to improve? (We may even argue about the meaning of the phrase: "What's a man? What's the definition of a good man? Why isn't it mentioning women?") Of course, it's all an attempt to distract. If you're looking to create a better environment, there's plenty that you could do. However, only one thing can guarantee the desired effect. Get away from the debate. Get yourself out of the rubble. Do not waste your time worrying about what ought to be, should be, might be, etc. Do what you can to be that thing. (Here's a cool poster of the phrase).