In 2016, philosopher and author Ryan Holiday published The Daily Stoic. Since then, the book, grounded in the ancient philosophy of stoicism, has sold nearly one million copies and has been published in over 20 languages.
Stoic philosophy began around 300 B.C. Zeno of Citium, a former merchant who lived in Greece, originated the philosophy, which places much of its emphasis on practicality in the pursuit of happiness in one’s life. Some of the most notable practitioners of stoicism include Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. On the surface, it may feel like stoicism would make for a pretty boring subject only found in old library books. Yet, in recent years, it has gone through a revitalization in the past few decades thanks to modern-day philosophers like Holiday and others, such as Alasdair MacIntyre and Martha Nussbaum.
So, why is stoicism still relevant today, and how can it help modern-day people? As Holiday tells Finding Mastery, “A Stoic doesn’t control the world, but they always control how they respond to the world. So it’s a really great philosophy if you’re doing something. If you’re a leader or an athlete or a poet or a politician, it’s there for the stresses of life.”
With the added stresses of life in the 21st century, stoicism is more practical and worthwhile to pursue than ever before. It propels us to gain information so we can exert our control on the world around us when possible. It also helps us to see the world as it is and understand why people act in the way they do. Perhaps most importantly, it encourages practitioners to embody vital virtues such as courage and wisdom in everything they do.
Key Insights on Stoicism
- Accept the world and people’s nature as it is
- Reject outward pressures through discipline
- Embrace virtues such as justice, courage, and wisdom
- Act when we have the power to do so, and accept when things are out of our control
In this article, learn more about how to apply stoicism to your life, plus check out 50 stoicism quotes from various philosophers to gain insight into how stoics think, act, and behave.
50 Stoicism Quotes
Zeno
“Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.”
“Happiness is a good flow of life.”
“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”
“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”
“A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”
“If you lay violent hands on me, you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo.”
“The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature.”
Marcus Aurelius
“If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.”
“Think of the life you have lived until now as over and, as a dead man, see what’s left as a bonus and live it according to Nature. Love the hand that fate deals you and play it as your own, for what could be more fitting?”
“You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”
“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.”
“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.”
“The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.”
“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.”
“If anyone can refute me—show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective—I’ll gladly change. It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone.”
“Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.”
“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.”
“It never ceases to amaze me: We all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
“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.”
Epictetus
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”
“Curb your desire—don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need.”
“The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own . . .”
“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”
“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
“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 have not mentioned these alone.’”
“That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite of what we should.”
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
Seneca
“Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well-ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.
“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
“How does it help . . . to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?”
“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.”
“He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive.”
“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent—no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.”
“If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
“Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.”
“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.”
Alisdair MacIntyre
“The good life for man is the life spent in seeking for the good life for man, and the virtues necessary for the seeking are those which will enable us to understand what more and what else the good life for man is.”
“It is only by participation in a rational, practice-based community that one becomes rational.”
“Man is essentially a story-telling animal, but a teller of stories that aspire to truth.”
“The exercise of the virtues is itself a crucial component of the good life for man.”
“I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?’”
Martha Nussbaum
“Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.”
“To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control.”
“As human beings, we ought to be vulnerable. We shouldn’t try to say that we can be self-sufficient or do everything that’s necessary for a good life on our own, because we need other people.”
“Life is about more than earning a living, and if you’re not in the habit of thinking about it, you can end up middle-aged or even older and shocked to realize that your life seems empty.”
“You can’t really change the heart without telling a story.”
“Business leaders love the humanities because they know that to innovate you need more than rote knowledge. You need a trained imagination.”
Stoicism Is a Great Way to Reduce Stress From Work and Life
When you start to feel overly stressed, stoicism may actually be a great way to ease your worries. According to a study published in the Journal of Evidence-Based Psychotherapies, stoicism is one of the pillars of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)—a popular type of therapy mental health professionals often guide their patients through. Researchers found that Albert Ellis and David Burns, two of the top developers of CBT, based part of their practice on what stoicism teaches. The researchers write: “There is significant agreement between Ellis and Burns in their approach to mental disturbance, both relying on the bedrock of Stoic philosophy. Both refer back to the basic Stoic concept that it is not what happens to individuals but rather how they view what happens to them that determines their emotional reaction to events.”
A more stoic outlook can help us overcome the challenges we find in the world as we live in a more relaxed, positive and peaceful state. Here are other articles you can read to reduce your stress.
8 Strategies for Handling Work Stress as a Leader
Anxiety at Work: How to Cope with It
And for more inspirational quotes, check out the following.
50 Jordan Peterson Quotes to Inspire You in Your Life