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Stoic Quotes

The Stoic school itself — Zeno, Cleanthes, Seneca, Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Musonius Rufus.

215 quotes. Browse by author instead.

• "The only thing in our power is our own thoughts."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "We suffer more often in imagination than in reality."
  — Seneca
• "It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."
  — Epictetus
• "He who is brave is free."
  — Seneca
• "The best revenge is not to be like your enemy."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Happiness in your life depends on the quality of your thoughts."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity."
  — Seneca
• "Life is like a play: it doesn't matter how long it lasts, but how well it is performed."
  — Seneca
• "True freedom is living as you wish."
  — Epictetus
• "Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you'll have more time and tranquility."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Life is too short to be wasted on trivial things."
  — Seneca
• "True happiness is not needing happiness."
  — Seneca
• "Hurry to live well and think that each day is, in itself, a life."
  — Seneca
• "Difficulty shows what men are."
  — Epictetus
• "Wealth consists much more in enjoyment than in possession."
  — Epictetus
• "You have power over your mind - not external events. Realize this, and you will find strength."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Stop wasting time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain."
  — Epictetus
• "Life is too short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future."
  — Seneca
• "True happiness is enjoying the present without anxious dependence on the future."
  — Seneca
• "True courage is keeping calm amidst chaos."
  — Seneca
• "Happiness is not in having much, but in being content with little."
  — Epictetus
• "Life is too short to waste on unnecessary worries."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Inner peace is achieved when we accept what we cannot control."
  — Epictetus
• "The wise man does not lament what he does not have, but appreciates what he possesses."
  — Epictetus
• "The strength of a person lies in the resolute calm of their mind."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Happiness is a choice, not a result."
  — Seneca
• "Wisdom consists in doing the right things; virtue consists in doing things well."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "He who teaches, learns twice."
  — Seneca
• "Life is long if you know how to use it."
  — Seneca
• "Reason should be our guide, not opinion."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Only the present can be lost, for it is all we have."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The greatness of a soul is not measured by the magnitude of its acts, but by the absence of inner agitation."
  — Epictetus
• "It is in adversity that we learn to know our true friends."
  — Seneca
• "Do not seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do."
  — Epictetus
• "He who has a why to live can bear almost any how."
  — Seneca
• "Do not speak unless you can say something better than silence."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "The man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary."
  — Seneca
• "It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows."
  — Epictetus
• "Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness."
  — Seneca
• "It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult."
  — Seneca
• "People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of things."
  — Epictetus
• "For the busy man, no day is long enough."
  — Seneca
• "Accept with serenity what cannot be changed, courage to change what can be changed, and wisdom to distinguish between the two."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Change is constant. Our life is what our thoughts make it."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Do not waste the rest of your life thinking about what others think."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The first and most important field of philosophy is the application of principles, such as not lying."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not seek to have everyone like you. Your growth may disturb those who wish you to remain always the same."
  — Seneca
• "Time reveals the truth."
  — Seneca
• "Happiness is a state of mind, not a condition of life."
  — Epictetus
• "What disturbs men are not things, but the opinions they have of them."
  — Epictetus
• "He who teaches, learns."
  — Seneca
• "Philosophy is not a theory, but a way of life."
  — Musonius Rufus
• "No one is free if he is not master of himself."
  — Epictetus
• "The world is a city."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "Teach me to live better."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "Desire creates suffering."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "We are not disturbed by things, but by the opinion we have of things."
  — Epictetus
• "The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the visions they have of things."
  — Epictetus
• "Virtue is sufficient for happiness."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "The adaptable mind is the most valuable."
  — Cleanthes
• "Nothing is enough for the man who considers little enough."
  — Epictetus
• "Act as if you are planting a seed, without certainty of the harvest."
  — Cleanthes
• "No wind is favorable for the man who does not know where he is going."
  — Seneca
• "Difficulties strengthen the mind, just as work strengthens the body."
  — Seneca
• "The wise man is immune to chance."
  — Seneca
• "You cannot avoid the storms of life, but you can learn to navigate through them."
  — Epictetus
• "The wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be."
  — Epictetus
• "What does the uncertainty of the future matter to me? Living well today is enough."
  — Seneca
• "It is in conversation that we learn."
  — Seneca
• "Nature gave us the seeds of knowledge, not knowledge itself."
  — Seneca
• "The good man is he who does good to others."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "You become what you practice."
  — Epictetus
• "It is better to cultivate virtue than to repress vice."
  — Cleanthes
• "Men suffer because they cannot say 'no'."
  — Epictetus
• "It is not external criticism, but internal confirmation that matters."
  — Epictetus
• "Wealth is not in having great possessions, but in having few needs."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not wait for the perfect change; start now."
  — Epictetus
• "Fortune favors the prepared mind."
  — Seneca
• "Harming others is harming yourself."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Power over oneself is the greatest power."
  — Seneca
• "Moderation in all things is the best policy."
  — Cleanthes
• "Pleasure is not the end of life, but an accompaniment to just actions."
  — Epictetus
• "It is not poverty that we consider bad, but our opinion about it."
  — Epictetus
• "Let your action correspond to your word."
  — Seneca
• "Most people do not listen with the intent to understand; they listen with the intent to respond."
  — Epictetus
• "Each day is a new life."
  — Seneca
• "If you want to be loved, love."
  — Seneca
• "A life without purpose is like a ship without a rudder."
  — Seneca
• "What you think of yourself is much more important than what others think of you."
  — Seneca
• "If someone has hurt you, do not repay with pain, but with teaching."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not be led either by anger or by fear."
  — Epictetus
• "To begin is the most important part of any work."
  — Epictetus
• "Even from an enemy one can learn virtue."
  — Seneca
• "Kindness is more important than wisdom, and recognizing this is the beginning of wisdom."
  — Cleanthes
• "Do not seek that events happen as you want, but want the events as they happen."
  — Epictetus
• "The strong man is he who conquers himself, not he who conquers another."
  — Seneca
• "It is not from wealth that happiness comes, but from virtue."
  — Epictetus
• "Opinion is the source of all suffering."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not try to have events happen as you wish; wish for them to happen as they do."
  — Epictetus
• "It is not necessary to confess sins to God, but to oneself."
  — Seneca
• "What you fear is never as bad as your fear."
  — Seneca
• "Remain indifferent to pain. It cannot hurt you unless you let it."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Choose not to be harmed, and you will not feel harmed."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Learn to be indifferent to things that are indifferent."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The crowd measures a man by his dress; the wise man, by his heart."
  — Seneca
• "First tell yourself what you want to be, then do what you have to do."
  — Epictetus
• "Never allow the pursuit of perfection to become the enemy of the good."
  — Musonius Rufus
• "The man is not disturbed by things, but by the view he takes of things."
  — Epictetus
• "The greatest punishment for a person who does evil is not the law, but conscience."
  — Seneca
• "All cruelty arises from weakness."
  — Seneca
• "Each day that dawns is the first for some and will be the last for others."
  — Seneca
• "The body is not a residence, but a lodging, and for a short time."
  — Seneca
• "Knowledge without application is not wisdom."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "If you want to progress, abandon thoughts like: 'If I neglect my affairs, I will have nothing to eat.'"
  — Epictetus
• "Do not seek that things happen as you want, but wish that they happen as they do, and your life will prosper."
  — Epictetus
• "Once you calm down with renunciation, you will miss less."
  — Epictetus
• "It is not the man who has little, but the man who desires more, who is poor."
  — Seneca
• "No wind is favorable for the one who does not know to what port he is heading."
  — Seneca
• "It is necessary to learn how to live the whole of life, and, what may surprise you most, it is necessary to learn how to die the whole of life."
  — Seneca
• "The good man is he who labors for justice and nothing else."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Happiness depends on the quality of your thoughts."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Remember that your body is nothing but a fragile vessel containing your soul."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not wear yourself out waiting for things to happen as you wish."
  — Epictetus
• "There is no favorable wind for those who do not know where they are going."
  — Seneca
• "The greatest of all traps is to believe that appearances are reality."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The greatest obstacle to life is expectation, which depends on tomorrow and loses today."
  — Seneca
• "If someone has hurt you, do not repay with wounds. Wounds, when repaid, only increase."
  — Epictetus
• "Instead of thinking about what you do not have, think about what you have that others do not."
  — Epictetus
• "Life is divided between the useful and the useless."
  — Seneca
• "Let us hasten to live: many prevent our good beginning, many hinder us on the journey."
  — Seneca
• "If you want to overcome the fear of death, think of it every day."
  — Epictetus
• "A man should feel honored to be his own witness."
  — Seneca
• "Benefits are often lost with delay."
  — Seneca
• "To the calm mind, the whole universe surrenders."
  — Cleanthes
• "We learn not for school, but for life."
  — Seneca
• "If you suffer because of external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your judgment about them."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Anger hurts oneself more than others."
  — Seneca
• "Do not seek to avoid the things that happen to men, but accept them with love."
  — Epictetus
• "The greatest wealth is the limitation of desires."
  — Seneca
• "You cannot control external events, but you can control the way you react to them."
  — Epictetus
• "Do not wait for things to happen as you wish. Wish for them to happen as they do."
  — Epictetus
• "Evil resides not in things, but in the human mind."
  — Epictetus
• "When you rise in the morning, think of the precious privilege of being alive - to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Do not seek praise. Do your work as well as you can and praise will come of its own accord."
  — Epictetus
• "Freedom is not wanting anything, fearing nothing."
  — Epictetus
• "Judge a person not by what they achieve, but by what they overcome."
  — Epictetus
• "If someone speaks ill of you, add a dose of kindness to your life."
  — Epictetus
• "Worry less about what others think of you and more about what you think of yourself."
  — Seneca
• "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you."
  — Seneca
• "The wise man should travel with his wisdom, not with his possessions."
  — Seneca
• "It is not what happens to us, but how we react to what happens to us that matters."
  — Epictetus
• "There is no problem so great that it cannot be solved by patience."
  — Seneca
• "He who is not content with little, is not content with anything."
  — Epictetus
• "Calmness is the source of strength."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "To learn to suffer is to learn to live."
  — Seneca
• "Adversities strengthen the mind, as work strengthens the body."
  — Seneca
• "Every day seek beauty, and it will reveal itself."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Kindness is invincible."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Do not live as if you were to live forever. Death hangs over you."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Things do not touch the soul, but remain outside of it, and disturbance comes only from internal opinion."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Do the small things well, for thus is a great destiny made."
  — Epictetus
• "If you are disturbed by something external, it is not that which is troubling you, but your own judgment about it."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Keep in mind that all you possess is temporary."
  — Epictetus
• "There is no favorable wind for the sailor who does not know where he wants to go."
  — Seneca
• "We do not have to wait to begin to live."
  — Seneca
• "Obstacles are not to stop us, but to be overcome."
  — Seneca
• "Think of what you have instead of thinking about what you lack."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Study not to know more, but to know better."
  — Seneca
• "When acting, leave aside the worry about the result."
  — Cleanthes
• "Consider yourself perfected only when you have overcome more difficult errors."
  — Seneca
• "Man is the artisan of his own happiness and unhappiness."
  — Seneca
• "Realize that the present moment is all you really have."
  — Epictetus
• "Wisdom is never a certainty, it is a constant search."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The disciplined mind is more powerful than any external force."
  — Seneca
• "Do not be distressed by what you cannot change."
  — Epictetus
• "In life, the goal is not to dominate others, but to dominate oneself."
  — Seneca
• "Tranquility comes when you stop expecting things to be different."
  — Epictetus
• "Time heals what reason cannot."
  — Seneca
• "Nothing has so much power to expand the mind as the ability to systematically and truly investigate all that is observable in life."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "True wealth is not in having great possessions, but in having few needs."
  — Epictetus
• "A sound mind cannot be harmed by any adversity."
  — Seneca
• "If you do not have a clear goal, any path will do."
  — Seneca
• "Death smiles at us all; all we can do is smile back."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "There is no more faithful servant than time."
  — Seneca
• "The best revenge is to become different from what he is who caused the offense."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Everything is just opinion and opinion can be overcome."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "A person can change their destiny by changing their mental attitude."
  — Cleanthes
• "He who lives in harmony with himself lives in harmony with the universe."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "True joy comes from within, not from without."
  — Epictetus
• "A boat should not rely on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope."
  — Epictetus
• "Wisdom consists in knowing what to do; virtue consists in doing it."
  — Zeno of Citium
• "Progress is not in not falling, but in getting up every time you fall."
  — Seneca
• "Much of our anger or irritation comes from our own lack of awareness."
  — Epictetus
• "Life is long enough for the virtuous, but always too short for the vicious."
  — Seneca
• "There is no longevity without simplicity in diet."
  — Musonius Rufus
• "The universe is transformation; our life is what our thoughts make of it."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "The purpose of life is a life with purpose."
  — Musonius Rufus
• "Integrity is choosing your thoughts and actions based on values, not on personal gain."
  — Epictetus
• "Continuous practice and discipline are the keys to progress."
  — Epictetus
• "There are more things that scare us than actually harm us, and we suffer more often in imagination than in reality."
  — Seneca
• "If a man does not know what port he is sailing to, no wind will be favorable to him."
  — Seneca
• "The crowd is not wise simply because it is a crowd."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "If you do not want to be frustrated, do not cling to things you cannot control."
  — Epictetus
• "A man who suffers before it is necessary, suffers more than is necessary."
  — Seneca
• "Each day is a new opportunity to start over."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Think about how brief your existence is and how the world existed before you and will continue to exist after you."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "Pay attention to this: you must not be disturbed by what is outside of your control."
  — Epictetus
• "Seek to be happy with little, and you will find much."
  — Seneca
• "The obstacle is the path."
  — Marcus Aurelius
• "It is not death that a man should fear, but never starting to live."
  — Marcus Aurelius