Dear Fellow Traveler,
What if happiness, wisdom, meaning, and so on all point to a similar idea? The Greek word eudaimonia is often translated as ‘happiness’, although it does not quite capture its philosophical meaning. Eudaimonia generally refers to the quality of someone's way of living rather than a mood.
The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius interprets the word this way in his Meditations (or notes to himself),
Philosophical eudaimonia is a condition in which a person of excellent character is living optimally well, flourishing, doing admirably, and steadily enjoying the best mindset that is available to human beings.
But something you'll read about in Stoic writings much more often than eudaimonia is virtue. For the Stoics, virtue is a necessary ingredient to living well. Being a good person and having a good life are synonymous.
