The Freedom of Limits
Ataraxia and the ancient path to peace
Gracious reader,
We live in a time that prizes expansion—of productivity, possessions, and opinion—often at the expense of interior life. The notion that limits might offer not constraint but clarity runs against the grain of our cultural imagination. Yet for the ancients, restraint was not a sign of lack, but a form of wisdom. It was a way of ordering one’s life toward peace, rather than being pulled in every direction by appetite or ambition.
This essay is an invitation to revisit that older understanding. Drawing on the insights of Stoics, Epicureans, and other classical thinkers, it explores ataraxia—a state of composure cultivated not by escaping the world, but by engaging it with discipline and measure. In recovering the dignity of self-restraint, we may begin to see that freedom is not found in the absence of limits, but in learning to choose them well.
The Freedom of Limits: Ataraxia and the Ancient Path to Peace
In a culture obsessed with more — more productivity, more opinions, more noise — the idea of limits might sound like defeat. But to the ancient mind, limits weren’t restrictions. They were the key to peace.
They were freedom in disguise.
At the heart of this ancient wisdom lies a little-known Greek word:
ataraxia — a state of inner stillness, tranquility, and unshakable calm.
For the Stoics, Epicureans, and Skeptics — and countless thoughtful people in the thousands of years since antiquity, from Michel de Montaigne to the Founding Fathers — ataraxia was the highest good: the ability to move through life undisturbed by chaos, anchored in self-possession, responsive but not reactive. It was a kind of beautiful detachment — not from life, but from the tyranny of being controlled by every twist of fortune or flicker of emotion.
This is not numbness. It is disciplined serenity.
“The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.” — Seneca
Seneca, the Roman Stoic philosopher and statesman, knew this firsthand. Caught between the luxurious decadence of Nero’s court and the stark simplicity of Stoic virtue, he often reflected on the power of ataraxia to rescue us from our own inner storms.
In his Letters to Lucilius, Seneca writes:
“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.”
This was not a call to escapism — but a challenge to live with focused intention. To be present. To let go of the mental overreaching that tries to control everything — especially the future. Limits, he believed, were not the enemy of freedom but its foundation. They ground us in the real.
Epicurus and the Joy of Enough
Though often misunderstood as a hedonist, Epicurus taught that peace came not from indulging every desire but from simplifying our lives so that we desired less. He lived in a humble garden with friends, and taught that the greatest pleasures are often the quietest: food when hungry, water when thirsty, companionship when lonely.
He wrote:
“If you wish to be rich, do not add to your money, but subtract from your desires.”
Epicurus believed that freedom came from learning to be satisfied — that is, living within chosen limits. He found ataraxia not in asceticism, nor indulgence, but in enoughness.
Aristotle and the Golden Mean
Even Aristotle, who focused more on flourishing than detachment, taught that virtue lives in the balance between extremes — courage between rashness and cowardice, generosity between miserliness and extravagance.
This golden mean is a form of inner discipline that protects us from the self-sabotage of excess. It invites us into a life of thoughtful limitation — not to constrain joy, but to cultivate it more sustainably.
Modern Resonance: Limits as Liberation
Today, we live with limitless options, limitless connection, limitless information — and so many of us feel fractured, anxious, and overwhelmed.
What if the path to peace isn’t found in expanding our lives endlessly, but in shaping them intentionally?
What if we could reframe limits not as loss — but as love?
A calendar with boundaries is an act of self-respect.
A screen turned off is a soul turned back on.
A relationship with edges is a relationship with room to breathe.
A body listened to — instead of pushed — is a body that can rest.
Practicing Ataraxia Today
Here are three simple invitations to reclaim ataraxia in daily life:
Name One Thing to Release Daily
Ask: What’s one worry, expectation, or control I can gently loosen my grip on today?
Embrace “Just Enough”
In your consumption — food, social media, conversation — pause when you reach enough. Let satisfaction rise before overstimulation does.
Protect One Hour of Peace
Whether through reading, walking, or silence — carve out a small island of stillness each day. It is not indulgence. It is repair.
Limits Are Not the End — They Are the Frame
A poem without form is a ramble.
A painting without edges is a blur.
A life without limits is not free — it is scattered.
To live within loving, chosen limits is not to shrink your life. It is to shape it. To reclaim its coherence, its rhythm, its peace.
And maybe — just maybe — to glimpse again the quiet grace of ataraxia.
Recent Speaking Engagements:
Baby Bash and I are honored to be guests of Kennesaw State University’s “Bridging Divides Through Civility” series! More institutions of higher ed having initiatives such as these are an essential part of healing our broken and divided world.
Looking ahead:
April 30, 2025- Community Book Talk at Hussey-Mayfield Library
May 5-8- Southern California book events with several Federalist Society chapters
May 14, 20205- Court of Appeals of Indiana retreat
May 23, 2025- St. Johns Classical Academy of Fleming Island, Commencement Speaker
May 24, 2025- Redefining Classics, The Catholic University of America
September 26- 27, 2025- Civility Summit
In the news:
The World’s Oldest Stories to Help Your Relationships! With Alexandra Hudson- Truth Changes Everything Podcast
I Love to Read: Author Alexandra Hudson to headline Zionsville Community Read event- Wishtv.com- Want to know the secret to doing politics well today? Doing politics LESS. We’ve allowed politics to take up too much of our mental consciousness, and it’s hurting society and ourselves. Join us in Zionsville at The Hussey-Mayfield Memorial Public Library on April 30th at 6:30 PM in the Lora Hussey Room to explore this and many other surprising ways to heal our divides.
Paideia, Humanitas, Civility and Education- I was honored to be invited to write this essay for The Ronald Reagan Center on Civility and Democracy. In a time often marked by division and discord, reflecting on the relationship between civility and education offers both wisdom and hope.
Thanks to Timothy Donahue of Oakland University for this thoughtful Public Books review of The Soul of Civility! He highlights a key argument: civility isn’t mere politeness—it’s essential for real social progress. Read here!
I had a great time joining Josh on the Good Morning Liberty podcast! We discussed historical lessons on civility, focusing on how John Adams and Thomas Jefferson overcame deep political divides to restore their friendship. Their story is a powerful reminder that mutual respect can heal even the deepest rifts. The episode is now live—tune in and let me know your thoughts!
It’s Time for a New Era of Christian Civility- read my latest piece for Christianity Today!
Thanks so much to MSNBC for hosting a segment about The Soul of Civility. Watch here!
A Year Ago on Civic Renaissance:
“We must cultivate our garden”
Thank you for being part of our Civic Renaissance community!
This was a very nice column, thank you. I had not encountered the word ‘ataraxia’ before this, but the more I read the more I understood the word in today’s vernacular as ‘grounded.’ Merriam-Webster defines that as mentally and emotionally stable. Indeed, it is a difficult state to achieve.
With due respect, ma’am, I disagree with your assessment of limits. Rather than serve as a frame, I believe limits serve as a goal for self-achievement. As humans, we cannot get better unless we break the boundaries, both as individuals and as a civilization. Indeed, in an infinite world there can be no limit to knowledge and understanding.
Too often, the limits which you describe are manifested as fear. Fear of commitment, fear of death, fear of love, for example. I know some people who are afraid of learning, of discovering new knowledge that might upset their current view of the world. If we allow limits to frame our world, we essentially constrain our growth.
I believe that ataraxia, or being grounded, is achieved by pressing limits. Striving for better. If we understand more, we will fear less.
My two cents, adjusted for inflation. Please keep up your good work.
Many thanks for this very meaningful post. So grateful for all of the inspiration at this moment in time. I especially love the ideas of disciplined serenity and simplifying our lives so that we desire less. We look forward to sharing the post with family and friends. Keep up the great work that is blessing one and all. I'm also enjoying your book!