Stoic Quotes are a collection of philosophical insights and wisdom from ancient Greek and Roman philosophers who practiced Stoicism. This philosophy focuses on living a virtuous and contented life and emphasizes the importance of reason, self-control, and accepting the things that we cannot change. The Stoics believed that we should strive to live in harmony with nature and embrace the present moment, rather than dwelling on the past or worrying about the future. These quotes provide a timeless source of inspiration and guidance for those seeking to live a more fulfilling and meaningful life.
What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is a philosophy that originated in ancient Greece and was founded by Zeno of Citium in the 3rd century BCE. It teaches that the key to living a good life is to focus on what one can control and to accept what one cannot control. The goal of Stoicism is to live in a way that is rational, virtuous, and in accordance with nature. It emphasizes the importance of self-control, rational thought, and the ability to live in the present moment. Stoicism also teaches that the universe is governed by reason and that suffering and negative emotions are caused by our own negative thoughts and reactions to events.
What is the Stoic mindset?
Stoic mindset is a philosophical approach to life that emphasizes living in accordance with reason and virtue, and accepting whatever happens as inevitable and outside of one’s control. It involves focusing on what one can control, such as one’s thoughts, actions, and attitudes, rather than worrying about external circumstances or events. The Stoic mindset also emphasizes the importance of cultivating inner peace and emotional resilience and living a life of integrity, humility, and compassion.
Who are the Stoic philosophers?
- Zeno of Citium (332–262 BCE) who founded Stoicism in Athens
- Aristo of Chios (fl. 260 BCE), pupil of Zeno;
- Herillus of Carthage (fl. 3rd century BCE)
- Cleanthes (of Assos) (330–232 BCE), the second head of Stoic Academy
- Chrysippus (280–204 BCE), the third head of the academy
- Diogenes of Babylon (230–150 BCE)
- Antipater of Tarsus (210–129 BCE)
- Panaetius of Rhodes (185–109 BCE)
- Posidonius of Apameia (c. 135–51 BCE)
- Diodotus (c. 120–59 BCE), teacher of Cicero
- Cato the Younger (94–46 BCE)
- Seneca (4 BCE – 65 CE)
- Gaius Musonius Rufus (1st century CE)
- Rubellius Plautus (33–62 CE)
- Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus (1st century CE)
- Lucius Annaeus Cornutus (1st century CE)
- Epictetus (55–135 CE)
- Hierocles (2nd century CE)
- Marcus Aurelius (121–180 CE)
The Ultimate Stoic Quotes To Become Undefeatable
Find here the ultimate collection of Stoic quotes from stoic philosophers to become undefeatable by developing your self-control.
You can also read other inspirational posts such as life-changing poems for hard times, the greatest motivational thoughts from history, and quotes to inspire courage.
1. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ― Marcus Aurelius
2. “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” ― Marcus Aurelius
3. “Inwardly, we ought to be different in all respects, but our exterior should conform to society.” ― Seneca
4. “Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.” ― Epictetus
5. “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.” ― Seneca
6. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive-to breathe, to think, to enjoy, and to love.” ― Marcus Aurelius
7. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” ― Marcus Aurelius
8. “He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.” ― Seneca
9. “Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.” ― Marcus Aurelius
10. “Nature hath given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.” ― Epictetus
11. “People are frugal in guarding their personal property, but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful of the one thing in which it is right to be stingy.” ― Seneca
12. “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” ― Seneca
13. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet. What’s in my thoughts at this moment? Fear? Jealousy? Desire? Feelings like that?” ― Marcus Aurelius
14. “Until we have begun to go without them, we fail to realize how unnecessary many things are. We’ve been using them not because we needed them but because we had them.” ― Seneca
15. “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” ― Seneca
16. “It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people but care more about their opinion than our own.” ― Marcus Aurelius
17. “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” ― Epictetus
18. “Here is a rule to remember in future, when anything tempts you to feel bitter: not “This is a misfortune,” but “To bear this worthily is good fortune.” ― Marcus Aurelius
19. “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.” ― Zeno of Citium
20. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” ― Marcus Aurelius
21. “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” ― Marcus Aurelius
22. “If it is not right do not do it; if it is not true do not say it.” ― Marcus Aurelius
23. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” ― Epictetus
24. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” ― Seneca
25. “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” ― Seneca
26. “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.” ― Aristotle
27. “Difficulty shows what men are. Therefore when a difficulty falls upon you, remember that God, like a trainer of wrestlers, has matched you with a rough young man. Why? So that you may become an Olympic conqueror, but it is not accomplished without sweat.” ― Epictetus
28. “To be everywhere is to be nowhere.” ― Seneca
29. “Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back.” ― Marcus Aurelius
30. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” ― Marcus Aurelius
31. “Nothing endures but change” ― Heraclitus
32. “A person’s worth is measured by the worth of what he values.” ― Marcus Aurelius
33. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid with regard to external things. Don’t wish to be thought to know anything; and even if you appear to be somebody important to others, distrust yourself. For, it is difficult to both keep your faculty of choice in a state conformable to nature and at the same time acquire external things. But while you are careful about the one, you must of necessity neglect the other” ― Epictetus
34. “Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.” ― Seneca
35. “No man was ever wise by chance” ― Seneca
36. “He who is brave is free” ― Seneca
37. “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.” ― Marcus Aurelius
38. “The willing is led by fate, the reluctant are dragged.” ― Cleanthes of Assos
39. “What we do now echoes in eternity.” ― Marcus Aurelius
40. “While we wait for life, life passes” ― Seneca
41. “Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day. … The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” ― Seneca
42. “Your days are numbered. Use them to throw open the windows of your soul to the sun. If you do not, the sun will soon set, and you with it.” ― Marcus Aurelius
43. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” ― Epictetus
44. “Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.” ― Epictetus
45. “All cruelty springs from weakness.” ― Seneca
46. “It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.” ― Seneca
47. “Do every act of your life as though it were the very last act of your life.” ― Marcus Aurelius
48. “Whatever can happen at any time can happen today.” ― Seneca
49. “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” ― Epictetus
50. “Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.” ― Marcus Aurelius
51. “Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men’s desires, but by the removal of desire.” ― Epictetus
52. “Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.” ― Epictetus
53. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” ― Epictetus
54. “Humans have come into being for the sake of each other, so either teach them or learn to bear them.” ― Marcus Aurelius
55. “It can ruin your life only if it ruins your character. Otherwise, it cannot harm you—inside or out.” ― Marcus Aurelius
56. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts: therefore, guard accordingly, and take care that you entertain no notions unsuitable to virtue and reasonable nature.” ― Marcus Aurelius
57. “Mastery of reading and writing requires a master.” — Marcus Aurelius
58. “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” ― Seneca
59. “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” ― Marcus Aurelius
60. “Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present.” ― Marcus Aurelius
61. “If you live in harmony with nature you will never be poor; if you live according to what others think, you will never be rich.” ― Seneca
62. “Enjoy present pleasures in such a way as not to injure future ones.” ― Seneca
63. “Withdraw into yourself, as far as you can. Associate with those who will make a better man of you. Welcome those whom you yourself can improve. The process is mutual; for men learn while they teach.” ― Seneca
64. “Never say that I have taken it, only that I have given it back.” ― Epicurus
65. “Nothing is burdensome if taken lightly, and nothing need arouse one’s irritation so long as one doesn’t make it bigger than it is by getting irritated.” ― Seneca
66. “To win true freedom you must be a slave to philosophy.” ― Seneca
67. “There is no enjoying the possession of anything valuable unless one has someone to share it with” ― Seneca
68. “For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them” ― Seneca
69. “An ignorant person is inclined to blame others for his own misfortune. To blame oneself is proof of progress. But the wise man never has to blame another or himself.” ― Epictetus
70. “The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.” ― Seneca
71. “What really ruins our character is the fact that none of us looks back over his life.” ― Lucius Annaeus Seneca
72. “Let us say what we feel, and feel what we say; let speech harmonize with life.” ― Seneca
73. “People who know no self-restraint lead stormy and disordered lives, passing their time in a state of fear commensurate with the injuries they do to others, never able to relax.” ― Seneca
74. “It is a ridiculous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness, which is indeed possible, but to fly from other men’s badness, which is impossible.” ― Marcus Aurelius
75. “Words need to be sown like seeds. No matter how tiny a seed may be when in lands in the right sort of ground it unfolds its strength and from being minute expands and grows to a massive size.” ― Seneca
