Tolerance of Difference
Others' faults and differences should be met with patience, understanding that all are on a path of moral development.
Marcus Aurelius regularly reminded himself that others' bad behavior comes from their false beliefs, not from malice. Meeting it with anger adds more bad to the world; meeting it with patient understanding may provide an opportunity for correction. This tolerant orientation is both ethically appropriate and practically effective.
We should give as we would receive, cheerfully, quickly, and without hesitation.
Stoic tolerance differs from mere indifference — it is grounded in genuine understanding of human moral development.
On Benefits
Written about in
- What Stoicism says about being wronged
Marcus's practical argument is arithmetic about the world rather than about you: meeting bad behaviour with anger adds more bad to the total, while patience at least leaves an opening for correction. Nothing in it says the behaviour was acceptable.