What Foundation is about
Foundation is Volume I of All the Knowledge I Want to Bestow Upon My Children, a five-volume series by Dimitrios Tsakmakis written as a letter to the children he hopes to have. It teaches character through the Three Laws, drawing on the Stoics, Hesiod and true stories from the author's life, for readers 12 and up and the parents who give it to them.
This first volume lays the groundwork for everything that follows: discipline without cruelty, strength without vanity, and a quiet philosophy that carries a person through collapse and calm alike. It shows a young reader how to build “a body that serves you, a mind that obeys you, and a code worth living by”, through the Three Laws and the Four Virtues.
Its sources are the Stoics, Hesiod and “a lifetime of hard-won experience”, and it is written in the tradition of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. It is grounded in real events: the factory that collapsed, the business betrayed, the father whose mind faded while his body remained. In the author's own words: “Not advice from someone who got everything right — this is what a man learned from getting it wrong.”
Dimitrios Tsakmakis wrote All the Knowledge I Want to Bestow Upon My Children for girls and boys alike who want to grow up kalos kagathos (καλός κἀγαθός), the ancient Greek ideal of the noble and good person, and to become capable, critical-thinking, sensible adults able to cross the harsh landscape of today's world.
Inside the book
Fourteen short chapters:
- Why I Write
- The Three Laws
- What Is Good?
- What Is Strong?
- What Is Wise?
- Choosing Your People
- When to Help, When to Walk Away
- Fear and What It Means
- Anger and What It Destroys
- Loss and What Remains
- Your Body Is a Tool
- Money Is a Tool
- How to Learn
- The Stories That Shape You
Exercises at the end of the chapters
Foundation by Dimitrios Tsakmakis pairs short chapters and true stories with practical exercises. Chapters 3 to 8 each end with three exercises and chapters 9 to 13 with four, such as the Friendship Audit, the Anger Log and the Spending Log. A teen can do them alone or with a parent.
They are addressed to the reader and take a few minutes to a week, for example:
- the Niceness Test (chapter 3) and the Fear Inventory (chapter 4)
- the Pause Practice (chapter 5) and the Friendship Audit (chapter 6)
- the Generosity Audit (chapter 7) and the Anger Log (chapter 9)
- the Loss Inventory (chapter 10) and the Capability Test (chapter 11)
- the Spending Log (chapter 12): “For one week, write down everything you spend”
- the One-Sentence Summary (chapter 13)
Want to try some together? Here is a seven-day plan using these exercises.
Giving it as an 18th-birthday present? Write your own letter to your child to go with it.
The Three Laws (a first look)
The Three Laws at the heart of Dimitrios Tsakmakis's series are: I. Know what is in your control and what is not. II. Do what is right, not what is easy. III. Protect your own, but do not take what is not yours. Volume I, Foundation, builds a young reader's character around these three rules.
Law I: Know what is in your control and what is not.
Most people waste their lives angry about the wrong things.
“Anger at things you cannot control is like shouting at the rain. The rain does not hear you, and you only lose your voice.”
Law I echoes the opening line of Epictetus's Enchiridion: “Some things are within our power, while others are not.”
Law II: Do what is right, not what is easy.
The easy path is usually a debt you pay later, with interest.
“Do not ask: ‘Does this feel good now?’ Feelings lie. Ask instead: ‘Will this make my future easier or harder?’”
Law III: Protect your own, but do not take what is not yours.
There is a difference between strength and theft.
“The test is not whether you will be caught. The test is whether you will still recognize yourself afterward.”
Quotations from Chapter 2, “The Three Laws”.
Who this book is for
Foundation is written for girls and boys aged 12 and up to read themselves, in short, direct chapters with true stories, and for parents who want to hand their children something real.
For readers 12 and up
It is written to be read by the children themselves — readers 12 and up. No lectures. Short, direct chapters with true stories.
For parents who want to hand them something real
It is a letter, written down so it survives him. Parents and grandparents give it at the moments when a young person starts to ask bigger questions: a 13th birthday, the start of secondary school, a graduation, an 18th birthday.
For daughters and sons
The book speaks to girls and boys alike. It is as much a book for teen girls about character and thinking clearly as it is for teen boys: the letter is addressed to “my children”, and every lesson in it is meant for both.
Who it isn't for
If you are looking for an academic introduction to Stoic philosophy, or for a fill-in workbook, this is not it. It has short practical exercises at the end of chapters 3 to 13, but it is a book to read, not a workbook.
Read a page from Foundation
My father's hands built things. That is the first thing you should know about him. He came to this city when he was seventeen years old, from a village in Kavala, with almost nothing in his pockets. He found someone who would teach him to work wood, and he worked for free until he knew the trade. Then he built his own workshop. Then a factory. Those hands — the hands I am describing — made furniture that lasted longer than some of the houses it sat in. They gave work to our family and to strangers who needed it. They built something from nothing.
Now those same hands sit still. They reach for things that are not there. They forget what they are reaching for. My father is still alive, but the man who built with those hands is harder to find each time I visit. I watch this happen, and I think: everything he knew, everything he learned the hard way, is locked in a mind that is slowly closing its doors. The furniture is still in people's homes. The factory is gone. But the knowledge — how to choose the right wood, how to hire the right person, how to survive when the world turns against you — that is fading while I watch.
I do not want that to happen to what I know. That is why this book exists.
From Chapter 1, “Why I Write”About the author
Dimitrios Tsakmakis is a carpenter's son from Athens. After school he served in the army as a special forces paratrooper, and since 2008 he has served in the Hellenic Police, including seven years in its counter-terrorism unit and work as a tactical instructor. He writes these volumes as letters to the children he hopes to have, after his father's dementia showed him how completely what a person knows can disappear. He lives in Athens with his wife.
Formats, prices and where to buy
Foundation is available from Lulu as a 138-page paperback (ISBN 9786188874312, $16.49) and as an ebook in PDF (ISBN 9786188874336) or EPUB (ISBN 9786188874367), $5.99 each.
| Format | Price | Details | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paperback | $16.49 | 138 pages · perfect bound · black & white interior · 6 × 9 in (152 × 229 mm) · published 16 Sep 2026 | 9786188874312 |
| Ebook (PDF) | $5.99 | PDF · published 25 Sep 2026 · Lulu listing | 9786188874336 |
| Ebook (EPUB) | $5.99 | EPUB, reflowable for e-readers and phones · published 25 Sep 2026 · Lulu listing | 9786188874367 |
Published in Greece · ISBN-registered with the National Library of Greece · Sold worldwide through Lulu.
Shipping: Lulu prints each paperback on demand (usually in 3–5 business days) and ships to Greece and worldwide. The shipping method and cost are shown at checkout after you enter your address, and EU VAT is added there too. See the shipping question below for typical costs to Greece.
Next in the series
Volume II: The Mind
The sequel to Foundation: logic, focus and the examined life. Socrates meets the modern schoolyard.
Volume III: The World is coming
Be the first to know when Volume III: The World is released.
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Questions parents ask
What age is Foundation for? Can a 12-year-old read it alone?
Foundation is written for readers 12 and up, and it is meant to be read by the children themselves, not only read to them. The chapters are short and direct, built around true stories rather than lectures, so a 12-year-old who reads English comfortably can read it alone. Many parents will also want to read it alongside them.
Is Foundation a Stoicism book?
It draws on the Stoics, especially Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius, and on the Greek poet Hesiod, and it is written in the tradition of Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. But it is not an academic introduction to Stoic philosophy. It is a practical letter to the children he hopes to have, using those ideas to explain how to live well.
What are the Three Laws?
The Three Laws at the heart of the series are: I. Know what is in your control and what is not. II. Do what is right, not what is easy. III. Protect your own, but do not take what is not yours. Volume I, Foundation, builds a young reader's character around these three rules.
Which volume should I read first?
Start with Volume I, Foundation. It sets out the Three Laws that the rest of the series builds on. Volume II, The Mind, is its sequel and turns to logic, focus and the examined life. Both are available now from Lulu in paperback and as an ebook.
Is it for daughters as well as sons?
Yes. Dimitrios Tsakmakis wrote the series for girls and boys alike who want to grow up kalos kagathos (καλός κἀγαθός), the ancient Greek ideal of the noble and good person, and to become capable, critical-thinking, sensible adults able to cross the harsh landscape of today's world.
What formats is it available in?
Foundation is available from Lulu as a 138-page paperback (ISBN 9786188874312, $16.49) and as an ebook in PDF (ISBN 9786188874336) or EPUB (ISBN 9786188874367), $5.99 each. Prices are in US dollars; Lulu may show your local currency and adds VAT at checkout.
Is the book available in Greek?
Not yet. The series is written in English. A Greek-language series will follow once all five English volumes are published. Until then, Foundation is a good fit for Greek readers 12 and up who read English, and for parents who want to read it with them.
Do you ship to Greece and worldwide?
Yes. Lulu prints each paperback on demand and ships it to Greece. Lulu's shipping calculator estimates that one copy starts at around €6 by tracked mail and arrives in about 3–4 weeks. Faster tracked options cost around €27–29. The final price, including VAT, is shown at checkout once you enter your address. The ebook downloads immediately.
When is Volume III coming out?
Volume III, The World, is coming, but there is no release date yet. Be the first to know when Volume III: The World is released. Volumes I and II are available now.
Does the book include exercises or activities?
Yes. Chapters 3 to 8 each end with three exercises and chapters 9 to 13 with four, such as the Niceness Test, the Friendship Audit, the Anger Log and the Spending Log. They are short and practical, written for the reader to do alone, and a parent can do them alongside. The book is still short chapters with true stories, not a workbook.