Day 30 · Q1: Self-Knowledge · January 30, 2026
Pause. Breathe. Begin.
I . L E C T I O
Plutarch
How to Tell a Flatterer from a Friend, §1
“To know oneself is generally thought to be of the greatest importance, but also the most difficult.”
C O N T E X T
Plutarch, writing in the 1st century AD, opens this essay by acknowledging that self-knowledge is universally praised yet rarely achieved. His specific concern: we are easily deceived by those who tell us what we want to hear.
I I . M E D I T A T I O
“Who in your life tells you what you want to hear rather than what you need to hear?”
I I I . S C R I P T I O
Write one sentence about the most uncomfortable truth someone has recently told you.
I V . C O N N E X I O
Plutarch adds a social dimension to self-knowledge: others can either illuminate or obscure our self-understanding. How does this complicate the solitary practices of Montaigne and Marcus?
This practice exists because of readers like you.
Sustain it →Tomorrow's passage, delivered at dawn.