Imagine if there was a philosophy that could help you find peace and contentment in a chaotic world. A philosophy that could guide you through life’s ups and downs with grace and resilience. This philosophy exists, and it’s called Stoicism.
Stoicism comes from ancient Greece, and it provides wisdom that can help us handle the problems we face in today’s world. The best way to understand Stoicism is by reading the words of its famous philosophers.
In this article, we’ll explore some of the most powerful Stoic quotes and how they can guide us toward a more fulfilling life in the 21st century.
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What is Stoicism
Stoicism is an ancient philosophy that originated in Greece and became popular in Rome during the Roman Republic and Empire. It teaches that individuals should focus on what they can control and let go of what they cannot. It emphasizes the development of self-control, rational thinking, and the pursuit of virtue in order to attain inner peace and live a fulfilling life.
Stoics believe that by living in accordance with nature, accepting the inevitable challenges of life with equanimity, and practicing humility, one can achieve a state of serenity and happiness.
One of the key practices of stoicism is negative visualization. This involves imagining worst-case scenarios and considering how one would handle them. By doing so, individuals can prepare themselves mentally for adversity and become more resilient in the face of challenges.
Best Stoic Quotes from Ancient Philosophers
Make the mind tougher by exposing it to adversity.
The best answer to anger is silence. – Marcus Aurelius
The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.
Men are disturbed not by things but by the principles and notions that they form concerning things. — Epictetus
To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.
How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life.
We suffer more often in imagination than in reality. — Seneca
I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid. — Cato the Younger
You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.
The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.
We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?
Confine yourself to the present.
There could be no justice unless there was also injustice; no courage, unless there was cowardice; no truth, unless there were falsehood.
Wealth is the slave of a wise man and the master of a fool.
As a Stoic, I must despise injury, or, rather, I must not feel it, must not be affected by it so that it cannot violate the freedom of my soul.
If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.
Your perspective on life comes from the cage you were held captive in.
It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.
Having to fight for the thing you want doesn’t mean you deserve it any less.
We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go.
Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.
Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.
It is more civilized to make fun of life than to bewail it.
Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.
Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.
The difficulty comes from our lack of confidence.
The robbed that smiles steals something from the thief.
No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.
I have to die. If it is now, well then I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch since the hour for lunch has arrived – and dying I will tend to later.
A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation and desire into undertaking.
Stoic Philosophy Quotes to Inspire and Motivate
Freedom isn’t secured by filling up on your heart’s desire but by removing your desire.
What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for some goal worthy of him.
Man conquers the world by conquering himself.
If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.
Wherever a person can live, there one can also live well.
You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.
Sometimes in life, we must fight not only without fear but also without hope.
Control your perceptions. Direct your actions properly. Willingly accept what’s outside your control.
Problems only exist in the human mind.
In life, it doesn’t matter what happens to you or where you came from. It matters what you do with what happens and what you’ve been given.
Keep your intention pure. Emotions will try to distract you. So keep going. That’s the cure.
Fate guides the willing, but drags the unwilling.
Be so busy building your own life that other people’s bullshit is of no concern.
Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.
It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.
Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.
Each day provides its own gifts.
Give yourself a gift, the present moment.
We are more often frightened than hurt, and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.
Settle the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in the company.
Consider at what price you sell your integrity, but please, for God’s sake, don’t sell it cheap.
If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, ‘He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.’
Stoic Quotes On Love
Accept the things to which fate binds you, and love the people with whom fate brings you together, but do so with all your heart.
Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.
Self-control is strength. Right, thought is mastery. Calmness is power. – James Allen
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 arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.
Ignorance is the cause of fear.
Love sometimes injures. Friendship always benefits, after friendship is formed you must trust, but before that, you must judge.
We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we speak.
You can commit injustice by doing nothing.
We love being mentally strong, but we hate situations that allow us to put our mental strength to good use.
Your potential, the absolute best you’re capable of—that’s the metric to measure yourself against. Your standards are. Winning is not enough. People can get lucky and win. People can be assholes and win. Anyone can win. But not everyone is the best possible version of themselves.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Receive without pride, and let go without attachment.
To be even-minded is the greatest virtue.
Learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.
Life is long if you know how to use it.
Stoic Quote of the Day
For many men, the acquisition of wealth does not end their troubles, it only changes them.
Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.
When a person spends all his time on foreign travel, he ends up having many acquaintances, but no friends.
We are not given a short life but we make it short, and we are not ill-supplied but wasteful of it. Life is long if you know how to use it.
Hard choices, easy life. Easy choices, hard life.
Too many people believe that everything must be pleasurable in life.
Having the fewest wants, I am nearest to the gods. — Socrates
Man is mostly a collection of emotions, most of which he would do better not to be feeling.
Imagine smiling after a slap in the face. Then think of doing it twenty-four hours a day.
Make peace again with destiny, the destiny that unravels all ties: We are unequal at birth but are equal in death.
Warriors should suffer their pain silently.
Given that all must die, it is better to die with distinction than to live long.
You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.
Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed, and you haven’t been.
Nothing ought to be unexpected by us. Our minds should be sent forward in advance to meet all problems, and we should consider not what is wont to happen, but what can happen.
Stoic Quotes on Happiness
The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.
People will choose unhappiness over uncertainty.
Our happiness is not to be found in the judgments of others or in things outside of our control.
Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.
External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.
Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.
The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.
Have I been made for this, to lie under the blankets and keep myself warm?
Sometimes even living is an act of courage.
Be tolerant of others and strict with yourself.
Conceal a flaw, and the world will imagine the worst.
Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.
Life is neither good nor evil, but only a place for good and evil.
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.
I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.
How trivial the things we want so passionately are.
The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injury.
The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.
What did you learn from Stoic Quotes?
Which Stoic quote resonated with you the most? We encourage you to share your favorite quote with us in the comments below and don’t forget to share the article with your friends.
Let’s keep the spirit of Stoicism alive and continue to seek wisdom and enlightenment in our daily lives.
From Epictetus to Marcus Aurelius, their words remind us of the importance of resilience, strength, and inner peace.
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