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Stoicism, an ancient philosophical school from Athens around the 3rd century BCE, offers practical guidance for a virtuous and fulfilling life.Its core principles, founded by Zeno of Citium, focus on achieving inner peace and leading a virtuous life through harmony with nature’s laws.Stoicism emphasises personal responsibility, resilience in adversity, and the pursuit of wisdom.
I have a great interest in studying and applying ancient philosophies to my life, and Stoicism has been incredibly enlightening.
In this post, I will share timeless stoicism quotes from prominent philosophers that offer enduring insights for a balanced and meaningful life.
Stoicism Quotes from Stoic Philosophers
Marcus Aurelius Stoicism Quotes
- “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injustice.”
- “Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking.”
- “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
- “He who is brave is free.”
- “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.”
- “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
- “The object of life is not to be on the side of the majority, but to escape finding oneself in the ranks of the insane.”
- “He who fears death will never do anything worth a man who is alive.”
- “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”
- “It is not that we are given a short life; we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it.”
- “The best revenge is to live an honourable life.”
Epictetus Stoicism Quotes
- “We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.”
- “He who is the slave of his body is no better than he who is the slave of a rich man.”
- “We cannot control the things that happen to us, but we can control our attitude towards them.”
- “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
- “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
- “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”
- “No man is free who is not a master of himself.”
- “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
- “It is not that things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”
- “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”
Seneca Stoicism Quotes
- “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
- “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
- “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
- “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injustice.”
- “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
- “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”
- “The best revenge is to be unlike your enemy.”
- “He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”
- “No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.”
- “It is not that things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.
- “No man was ever wise by chance.”
Cleanthes Stoicism Quotes
- “Conduct me, Zeus, and you, O Destiny, wherever your decrees have assigned me.”
- “It is the oath of a Stoic, clean, genuine, and unshaken, to live according to nature, to decline nothing, to do nothing unwillingly.”
- “God is near you with all his power. He is even within you.”
- “Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.”
- “Ignorance, the greatest of all evil, is destroyed by knowledge of the divine.”
- “So we must exercise ourselves in the things which bring happiness, since, if that be present, we have everything, and, if that be absent, all our actions are directed towards attaining it.”
- “Our lack of confidence is not the result of difficulty. The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.”
- “What you avoid suffering doesn’t go away. It just waits for you to turn around and face it.”
- “He who does not know what the world is does not know where he is, and he who does not know for what purpose the world exists, does not know who he is.”
- “The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.”
Zeno of Citium Stoicism Quotes
- “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”
- “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
- “Well-being is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”
- “Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”
- “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.”
- “Focusing on what lies within our control empowers us; the rest is external, and acceptance of that brings peace.”
- “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
- “In the face of life’s uncertainties, our true strength lies in mastering our responses, for within our reactions, we shape our destiny.
- “We should not say that one man’s good is another man’s evil, but simply that some men’s good is other men’s evil.”
- “The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.”
You might also be interested in:
- 7 Inspiring Ways to Practice Stoicism in Everyday Life
- Inspiring Wisdom : 40 Empowering Lao Tzu Quotes for an Enlightened Living
- Wisdom Unleashed : A Guide to Key Stoicism Books Shaping Modern Living
Final Thoughts…
Some of the quotes are direct quotations, while others are paraphrased expressions influenced by Stoic principles, specifically focusing on managing responses and attitudes during uncertain times.
The wisdom of Stoic philosophers such as Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca echoes across generations. Their teachings inspire us to calmly confront life’s obstacles, such as setbacks at work, identify our sphere of control, like managing our reactions, and develop an unshakable character amidst external turmoil like family conflicts.
Stoicism, with its timeless principles, calls on us to accept our human nature with all its flaws, nurture resilience in the face of challenges, find purpose in every action, and achieve lasting serenity through inner peace.
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Until next time,
Love, light, and endless inspiration to all.
Neethu.
