Have you ever found yourself in a situation where the external chaos of the world leaves you feeling a bit lost?
Maybe it’s the overwhelming flood of news, the pressure of daily responsibilities, or simply the hustle and bustle of modern life.
In times like these, where do you turn for a dose of calmness and clarity?
Well, for many, it’s Stoicism, an ancient philosophy that has been guiding seekers of wisdom for centuries. And with the pace of change in our modern world, it might be more relevant than ever.
We’ve handpicked some of the most inspirational Stoic quotes. Whether you are striving to get through difficult times, looking for purpose, or trying to be more productive, these are for you.
Let’s dive in.
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius (121-180 AD) was a Roman emperor and a philosopher, known as one of the last of the Five Good Emperors and a major figure in the philosophy of Stoicism. His journals, what we now know as “Meditations,” are considered one of the greatest works of philosophy.
“The only thing that isn’t worthless: to live this life out truthfully and rightly. And be patient with those who don’t.
“Someone despises me. That’s their problem. Mine: not to do or say anything despicable”
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
“What injures the hive injures the bee.”
“External things are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.”
“Everything’s destiny is to change, to be transformed, to perish. So that new things can be born.”
“be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it”
” People exist for one another”
“You have to know an awful lot before you can judge other people’s actions with real understanding.”
“kindness is invincible, provided it’s sincere—not ironic or an act. What can even the most vicious person do if you keep treating him with kindness and gently set him straight—if you get the chance—correcting him cheerfully at the exact moment that he’s trying to do you harm”
“So other people hurt me? That’s their problem. Their character and actions are not mine”
“Our lives are short. The only rewards of our existence here are an unstained character and unselfish acts.”
“At dawn, when you have trouble getting out of bed, tell yourself: “I have to go to work—as a human being. What do I have to complain of, if I’m going to do what I was born for—the things I was brought into the world to do? Or is this what I was created for? To huddle under the blankets and stay warm?”
“If it’s not right, don’t do it. If it’s not true, don’t say it.”
“your responsibilities can be broken down into individual parts as well. Concentrate on those, and finish the job methodically—without getting stirred up or meeting anger with anger.”
Epictetus
Epictetus (c. 50 – c. 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher born into slavery. He lived a life marked by simplicity and practicality. After gaining his freedom, Epictetus taught philosophy in Rome and later in Greece.
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
“Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.”
“Be not diverted from your duty by any idle reflections the silly world may make upon you, for their censures are not in your power, and consequently should not be any part of your concern.”
“If you wish to be a writer, write.”
“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
“I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it.”
“It is not death or pain that is to be dreaded, but the fear of pain or death.”
“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.”
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”
“We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.”
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
“Only the educated are free.”
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”
“Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.”
“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
“Keep your attention focused entirely on what is truly your own concern, and be clear that what belongs to others is their business and not yours.”
“Don’t seek to have events happen as you want them to, but instead want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well.”
“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’.”
“To accuse others for one’s own misfortunes is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one’s education is complete.”
“If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.”
“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.”
“Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace.”
“What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgments about the things.”
“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.”
“Each day provides its own gifts.”
“Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior, regardless of what other people think or do. Hold to your true aspirations no matter what is going on around you.”
“You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.”
“Freedom is not achieved by satisfying desire, but by eliminating it.”
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”
“It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them.”
“A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.”
“If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity. If you need a witness, be your own.”
“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.”
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself…?”
“Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a hindrance to the leg, but not to your ability to choose.”
“The condition and characteristic of an uninstructed person is that he never expects from himself advantage nor harm, but from externals. The condition and characteristic of a philosopher is that he expects all advantage and all harm from himself.”
“Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind.”
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
Seneca
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, commonly known as Seneca the Younger, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist. Seneca was a tutor and later advisor to Emperor Nero. Despite his turbulent career involving various exiles and political intrigues, Seneca wrote extensively on philosophy, composing treatises, letters, and tragedies.
“The part of life we really live is small. For all the rest of existence is not life, but merely time.”
“Life’s like a play: it’s not the length, but the excellence of the acting that matters.”
“The body should be treated more rigorously, that it may not be disobedient to the mind.”
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
“Time heals what reason cannot.”
“If one does not know to which port one is sailing, no wind is favorable.”
“It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste a lot of it. Life is long enough, and a sufficiently generous amount has been given to us for the highest achievements if it were all well invested.”
“True happiness is… to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.”
“We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
“Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”
“Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.”
“It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.”
“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.”
“Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.”
“As is a tale, so is life: not how long it is, but how good it is, is what matters.”
“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.”
“It is not the man who has too little that is poor, but the one who hankers after more.”
“What really ruins our character is the fact that none of us looks back over his life.”
“He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive.”
“Life, if well lived, is long enough.”
“Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
“Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”
“He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.”
“There is no great genius without some touch of madness.”
“The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.”
“To be everywhere is to be nowhere.”
“Often a very old man has no other proof of his long life than his age.”
“To wish to be well is a part of becoming well.”
“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.”
“Most powerful is he who has himself in his own power.”
“It is a rough road that leads to the heights of greatness.”
“The day which we fear as our last is but the birthday of eternity.”
“You act like mortals in all that you fear, and like immortals in all that you desire.”
“It is quality rather than quantity that matters.”
“Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.”
“He who is brave is free.”
“While we wait for life, life passes.”
The bottom line
That just about wraps it up for this one, folks.
Whether you’re facing personal hardships, seeking deeper happiness, or striving for a more fulfilling life, remember that the principles of Stoicism are just as applicable today as they were centuries ago.
Which quotes resonated most with you? Did we miss any truly inspirational Stoic quotes? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.
As always, I hope you found some value in this post.
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Until next time, stay Stoic.
What would Marcus Aurelius say?
Unsure what to do next in your career? Struggling to move on from a failed relationship? Searching for more meaning in life?
Marcus Aurelius can tell you how to face your challenges in a more Stoic way.
Simply ask your question, and Marcus Aurelius will answer.
