To move from skepticism to progress, the question must be shaped. Stoics and Socratics alike favored portable prompts: What is within my control? What is the evidence? What would a wise person do next? Epictetus’s Discourses counsel testing impressions before assenting to them, a habit that converts mood into method. Once the question is framed, the next rational act—however small—becomes obvious, transforming anxiety into a sequence of doable steps. [...]
