A question from someone very new to Stoicism: How do you stop yourself from being a 'pushover'/people walking all over you when practicing stoicism.

Stoicism teaches that the only good thing is virtue, that is, excellent character. That is all that matters. Ultimately, we would prefer to be treated with kindness, but it isn't bad to be treated without kindness. The only bad thing is to not be virtuous. That is, the only bad thing is to have bad character, and nothing can make us have bad character except for our own actions.

That being said, Stoicism is not a passive philosophy. While as Stoics we recognize that being mistreated cannot be bad, we also would rather have peaceful, friendly interactions. And so we would strive to set a good example, to act with kindness. And we also ought to feel sympathy for wrongdoers-- after all, they only are hurting themselves. So, we treat them with kindness as well, and do what we can to turn them towards the right path, the path of goodness. The best options for turning someone towards goodness almost always involve acting as a good example. In some exceptions it might be wise to be more forceful as a last resort. But in any case, you steer other people towards goodness not for your own benefit, but for theirs.

The view of Stoicism as a passive philosophy is widespread throughout society. Ask yourself: if it is a passive philosophy, how could the Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius have been one of Rome's greatest emperors? There's something more-- a devotion to duty, to the right action, to the life of excellence.

You ask whether the Stoic position might open you up for exploitation. I would guess you view exploitation as others harming you for their own personal gain. But Stoics recognize that no one can truly harm you. The people who might walk all over you, so to speak, were already vicious and are not made more vicious by your actions. Yet if you live a good life you set a positive example for others, potentially steering them towards virtue, all while remaining virtuous yourself. The reward is obvious

/r/Stoicism Thread