75 Stoic Quotes from Philosophers of Stoicism About Life, Happiness and Wisdom
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Statue of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher of stoicism
When you need words of encouragement, you may not immediately think of quotes from Stoic philosophers. After all, being stoic evokes thoughts of calm without emotion. However, Stoicism, the ancient school of thought, is really about self-control and discipline when the tough times come. Simply put, the goal is to reduce negative emotions and focus on what’s important.
Founded by the philosopher Zeno of Citium, the Stoic philosophy was founded around 300 BC in Athens, Greece. The four tenets of this philosophy are wisdom, courage, temperance and justice. One key aspect is the idea that while we can’t control external events and circumstances, we can choose how we respond to them.
In today’s fast-paced world, it may be difficult to embrace adversity with happy thoughts, but even the ancient Stoic philosophers knew back then that having a bad attitude when things don’t go as planned won't change things. They believed that mental preparation was needed to cope when life gives us a curveball.
Despite the cultural differences between ancient philosophers and our modern experiences, their words still resonate. So, to help you achieve peace and balance, here are 75 Stoic quotes popularized by historic Stoic figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Annaeus Seneca, Epictetus, Zeno of Citium, Gaius Musonius Rufus and Diogenes.
If you’re looking for a set of timeless words that inspire tranquility and help you live your best life, keep reading.
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75 Best Stoic Quotes
"You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” - Marcus Aurelius
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” – Seneca
“Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment.” – Jim Rohn
“All men make mistakes, but a good man yields when he knows his course is wrong, and repairs the evil. The only crime is pride.” – Sophocles
“It’s not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about?” – Henry David Thoreau
“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn't have to look outside themselves for approval." – Epictetus
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” – Epictetus
“More is lost by indecision than wrong decision.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Marcus Aurelius Quotes
“External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.”
"Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
“If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.”
"The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
"The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts."
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
“When you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: The people I deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous and surly. They are like this because they cannot tell good from evil.”
"Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them. Think constantly on the changes of the elements into each other, for such thoughts wash away the dust of earthly life."
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
“In your actions, don't procrastinate. In your conversations, don't confuse. In your thoughts, don't wander. In your soul, don't be passive or aggressive. In your life, don't be all about business.”
Related: How to Use Wisdom to 'Know Your Enemy'—Here Are the 75 Best Sun Tzu Quotes
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Seneca Quotes
"Life is long if you know how to use it."
"True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future."
"It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable."
"It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult."
“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.”
"Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body."
“How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?”
“We suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
“Ignorance is the cause of fear.”
“The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”
“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”
“If you really want to escape the things that harass you, what you're needing is not to be in a different place but to be a different person.”
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Epictetus Quotes
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
"Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them."
"Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control."
"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."
“It is difficulties that show what men are.”
"Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not."
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“Curb your desire — don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need.”
"The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”
"If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid."
"He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has."
“Demand not that things happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do, and you will go on well.”
Zeno of Citium Quotes
“The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.”
“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”
"Man conquers the world by conquering himself."
“A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”
“Happiness is a good flow of life.”
“Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.”
“Follow where reason leads.”
"Well-being is realized by small steps, but it is truly no small thing."
“Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.”
“No loss should be more regrettable to us than losing our time, for it's irretrievable.”
Related: From Narnia to Wormwood to the Four Loves—Here Are the Best 125 C.S. Lewis Quotes
Gaius Musonius Rufus Quotes
“If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures.”
"The greatest thing in the world is self-sufficiency."
"It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
“From good people you'll learn good, but if you mingle with the bad, you'll destroy such soul as you had.”
"It is not possible to live well today unless you treat it as your last day."
“In order to protect ourselves we must live like doctors and be continually treating ourselves with reason.”
“You will earn the respect of all if you begin by earning the respect of yourself. Don’t expect to encourage good deeds in people conscious of your own misdeeds.”
“Willingly accept the inevitable, and you will lead a life in harmony with the universe.”
“Train yourself to strive for giving, rather than receiving.”
“The soul is trained for courage when we show patience under hardships.”
Related: 55 Inspirational David Goggins Quotes to Get You Out of Your Comfort Zone
Diogenes Quotes
“It is the privilege of the gods to want nothing, and of godlike men to want little.”
“It takes a wise man to discover a wise man.”
“People who talk well but do nothing are like musical instruments; the sound is all they have to offer.”
“No man is hurt but by himself.”
“He has the most who is most content with the least.”
"As a matter of self-preservation, a man needs good friends or ardent enemies, for the former instruct him and the latter take him to task."
“Courage is the key to mastery; the key to conquering our fears and unlocking our true potential.”
“The greatest wealth is to live content with little, for there is never a lack for those who crave much.”
“The wise man knows that he knows nothing, and yet he still seeks knowledge.”
“If I gained one thing from philosophy is that at the very least, I am well prepared to confront any change in fortune.”
“There is only a finger's difference between a wise man and a fool.”
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