You’re studying every day… but you feel stuck. You forget vocabulary. You hesitate to speak. And you start to wonder…
“Why am I even doing this?”
If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Many English learners experience frustration, boredom, or burnout at some point on their journey.
But what if I told you that philosophy could help?
In this episode of Thinking in English, we’re going to explore practical, powerful lessons from some of history’s greatest thinkers: Stoics, Existentialists, Buddhists, and more. These ideas have helped people cope with life’s biggest challenges… so why not apply them to the challenge of learning English?
Whether you’re feeling unmotivated, overwhelmed, or just tired of forgetting everything you study, this episode is for you!
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Vocabulary
- Control (n): The power to influence or manage something.
- She lost control of the car on the icy road.
- Virtue (n): Good moral behaviour or character.
- Honesty is considered a great virtue in many cultures.
- Self-discipline (n): The ability to control your actions and stick to goals or rules.
- He needed self-discipline to study every day for the exam.
- Morality (n): Beliefs about what is right and wrong behaviour.
- Different societies may have different ideas of morality.
- Identity (n): Your sense of self or how you see yourself.
- Learning a new language can change your sense of identity.
- Expectation (n): A belief about what will happen or what you think should happen.
- She had high expectations for her English test results.
- Struggle (n): A difficult situation or effort to deal with a challenge.
- Learning to speak fluently was a real struggle at first.
The Problem: Frustration in Language Learning
Let’s start with something honest: Learning a language is hard.
It’s exciting at first. Everything is new, your progress feels fast, and you can see yourself improving. But then… something changes. Things slow down. Motivation fades. You begin to feel stuck.
Many English learners, maybe even you, experience frustration at some point. And that frustration can come from a few common places.
First, there’s the lack of visible progress. You study every day, watch videos, read articles, do vocabulary flashcards… and yet, when you speak, it still feels difficult. You’re not seeing the results you expected, and that’s frustrating.
Then there’s comparison. Maybe your friend seems to learn faster than you. Maybe someone online speaks perfect English after just one year, while you’ve been studying for five. It’s easy to look at others and feel like you’re behind.
You might also hit a plateau, a stage where your English just doesn’t seem to improve, no matter how much effort you put in. This is especially common at intermediate and advanced levels.
Another big issue? Forgetting what you’ve already studied. You learn a new word today, and by tomorrow it’s gone.
And then there’s the emotional side: the fear of making mistakes or being judged. You might feel nervous when speaking, afraid of looking stupid or being misunderstood. That fear can stop you from practicing, which only makes things worse.
All of this, lack of progress, comparison, plateaus, forgetfulness, fear, leads to something bigger: burnout. You start to lose confidence. You wonder if you’ll ever become fluent. And sometimes, you feel like quitting altogether.
But here’s the good news: you’re not alone. These feelings are normal and they don’t mean you’re failing. They just mean you’re human.
And this is exactly where philosophy can help. I’m not a philosopher (just someone who enjoys reading philosophy), but I’ve tried to apply some of the ideas from major philosophical schools to language learning and explain it in understandable language!
Stoicism: Focus on What You Can Control
Let’s start with Stoicism.
Stoicism is an ancient Greek philosophy founded in the 3rd century BCE by Zeno of Citium. It was later developed by key figures such as Epictetus, a former slave turned philosopher; Seneca, a Roman statesman and writer; and Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor. Stoicism teaches that the path to a good and meaningful life lies in accepting what we cannot control and focusing on what we can control: like our own thoughts, actions, and reactions.
Core Stoic ideas include the pursuit of virtue (or character) as the highest good, the importance of reason and self-discipline, and the belief that external events are neither good nor bad in themselves, only our judgments make them so. Stoics aim to align their lives with nature and rationality, practice mindfulness, and develop resilience to hardship.
I think some of these ideas apply perfectly to English learning
For example, Stoicism teaches that “We should focus only on what we can control.”
You can’t control how other people speak, or how difficult a grammar point is. You can’t even really control the speed you improve.
But you can control your effort: how often you study, how much you practice, and how consistent you are.
Many learners waste time and energy worrying about things outside of their control.
They get anxious about sounding perfect… afraid of forgetting vocabulary… upset because they’re not fluent yet. But Stoicism reminds us: that kind of worry is useless.
The Stoic philosopher Seneca wrote: “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
In other words, we create suffering in our minds by imagining problems that don’t really exist or don’t really matter.
Instead of worrying about perfection, Stoicism says we should focus on consistency.
Study a little every day. Speak even if you’re nervous. Keep moving forward, even if it feels slow.
And when you face a challenge, like a difficult listening exercise or an embarrassing speaking mistake, see it as an opportunity to grow, not a reason to stop.
So how can you apply Stoic thinking to your English studies?
Accept mistakes as part of the process. Everyone makes them. It’s how we learn.
Set clear, manageable goals like “I’ll listen to English for 10 minutes each morning” or “I’ll write one paragraph a day.”
And most importantly, celebrate your effort, not just your results. If you studied today, even just a little, you succeeded.
Existentialism: Choose Your Own Meaning
Now let’s turn to Existentialism.
Existentialism is a movement that emerged in the 19th and 20th centuries. It focuses on individual freedom, personal responsibility, and the search for meaning in our lives.
Key thinkers include Kierkegaard, often considered the father of existentialism; Friedrich Nietzsche, who challenged traditional morality and religion; and 20th-century philosophers like Jean-Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Albert Camus.
Existentialism emphasizes that existence precedes essence. In other words, we are not born with a purpose but must create meaning through our choices and actions. It highlights themes such as anxiety, freedom, and authenticity, and encourages us to live honestly and take full responsibility for shaping our own lives.
Again, I think this message can offer some insight to language learner.
One of the key existentialist ideas is this: There is no fixed meaning in life… you have to create your own.
This idea might sound a little abstract, but I think it’s actually very useful when it comes to learning English.
Many learners get stuck because they’re chasing someone else’s definition of success. Maybe a teacher told you what to study. Maybe society tells you that “fluency” means speaking like a native speaker.
But Existentialists would ask: What does English mean to you? Why are you learning it?
The French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre put it this way: “Man is nothing else but what he makes of himself.”
That means you’re not born with a purpose, you choose it.
And when it comes to learning a language, you are responsible for your progress. No one else can do it for you. Not your teacher. Not an app. Not even this podcast!
Existentialism isn’t about following someone else’s path. It’s about taking ownership of your own.
So how do we apply this to English learning?
Start by asking yourself: “Why do I want to learn English?”
Is it to travel? To understand culture? To express yourself more confidently? To get a better job? Your answer is the foundation of your learning journey.
Next, build a study routine that reflects your identity and goals.
Don’t just copy what other people do. Choose materials that interest you. Set goals that motivate you. Learn in a way that fits your life.
And most importantly, take ownership.
If something’s not working, change it. If you’re not motivated, reflect on your “why.”
Buddhist Mindfulness: Let Go of Perfection
Next let’s take a look at Buddhist philosophy.
Buddhist philosophy is based on the teachings of Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, who lived around the 5th to 6th century BCE in India. Themes in this philosophy include understanding and overcoming suffering through wisdom and mental discipline.
Key concepts include the Four Noble Truths (that life involves suffering, the cause is desire, there is a way to end it, and the path to end it is the Eightfold Path) and the Middle Way, which avoids extremes of self-indulgence and self-denial.
A central practice in Buddhist philosophy is mindfulness, being fully present and aware of one’s thoughts, feelings, and surroundings without judgment. Other key ideas include impermanence (everything changes), non-self (the idea that the self is not fixed), and compassion for all beings. The goal is to develop wisdom and inner peace, ultimately reaching enlightenment or nirvana, a state beyond suffering.
For English learners, I think the idea of mindfulness and awareness is useful. One of the central teachings of Buddhism is that “Suffering comes from attachment and expectation.”
When we expect progress to be fast… When we attach our self-worth to fluency or test scores… When we believe we should be perfect, or speak without mistakes… We create our own stress.
But mindfulness offers a different approach. It encourages us to be present, to focus completely on what we’re doing now, instead of worrying about the future or regretting the past.
The Buddha famously said: “Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.”
What does this look like for an English learner?
It means when you’re reading, just read. Don’t think, “I’m too slow,” or “I’ll never understand native speakers.”
When you’re speaking, just speak. Don’t let your brain jump ahead to how you might mess up or what someone else might think.
This mindset helps you stay calm and focused. It helps you actually enjoy the process. You cannot change the past and you do not know what will happen in the future. Accept this, and it becomes easier to study. Study because you enjoy it.
Importantly, mindfulness also teaches us that everything changes. Your current level, your confidence, your frustration, they’re not permanent.
So if you feel stuck or discouraged now, that feeling will eventually pass.
Nietzsche: Embrace the Struggle
And finally, let’s talk about Nietzsche. I actually already mentioned Nietzsche as he if often considered part of the existentialist school of thought, but I think his ideas deserve their own section.
Friedrich Nietzsche was a 19th-century German philosopher. He is probably best known for his radical critiques of religion, morality, and modern society. He rejected traditional Christian values and famously declared that “God is dead.”
His “God id Dead” argument is often misunderstood. He is basically arguing that the decline of religious belief (the fact there were less committed Christians in Europe) left a moral vacuum that individuals must fill themselves. Nietzsche believed that people should create their own values and meaning in life, rather than rely on external authorities.
Key concepts in Nietzsche’s philosophy include the Übermensch (Overman or Superman), an ideal individual who lives creatively and authentically, and eternal recurrence, the idea of living your life as if you had to live it over and over again.
He emphasized the importance of embracing struggle, suffering, and contradiction as necessary parts of growth, famously stating, “What doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
Nietzsche believed that challenges and difficulties aren’t signs of failure. Instead, they’re essential parts of becoming stronger and better. And this is an important message for language learner.
As I already mentioned, one of Nietzsche’s most famous quotes is “that which doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”
The struggles you face in learning English (confusing grammar, tough conversations, or moments of doubt) aren’t obstacles. They’re necessary steps on your path of growth. By facing and overcoming struggles, you will become stronger.
So how can you apply Nietzsche’s ideas?
Try to reframe difficulties. Instead of seeing mistakes or setbacks as reasons to quit, view them as important parts of your transformation. Every time you push through frustration or embarrassment, you build resilience.
And remember to feel pride in your effort. It takes courage to keep going when things are hard. Celebrate that strength.
In embracing the struggle, you become not just a better English learner, but a stronger person.
Final Thought
In this Thinking in English episode, I have tried to apply some of the ideas from the greatest philosophers and schools of thought to English learning.
While this might seem like a slightly strange idea (these schools of thought are often discussing much more serious topics), I do think there are certain ideas we can apply studying.
From Stoicism, learn to focus on what you can control: your effort, your consistency, your mindset.
From Existentialism, take full responsibility for your learning. Find your personal “why,” and build a routine that truly fits you.
From Buddhist mindfulness, practice being present in every moment of study. Let go of comparisons and the need to be perfect. Accept that progress comes with change.
And from Nietzsche, embrace the struggle. See challenges not as failures, but as the fuel that strengthens you.
Frustration isn’t a sign that you’re failing. It’s a natural and even necessary part of learning. Philosophy doesn’t promise that English will become easy overnight, but it does offer tools to help you keep going when it’s tough.
What do you think? What is your favourite philosophy or who is your favourite philosopher?
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Vocabulary Games and Activities!
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