Stoicism, as a philosophical school of thought, finds its roots in ancient Greece.
Notable philosophers like Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius served as torchbearers of this profound philosophy.
Learning how to be stoic is the need of the hour for men of 2023.
At its core, Stoicism emphasizes the pursuit of virtue, wisdom, and self-control as the ultimate goals of human life, which is reflected in Stoic quotes as well.
Even High-value men use Stoicism to master life and seize success.
The primary purpose of this post is to share with you 90 powerful Stoic quotes that encapsulate the essence of this timeless philosophy.
Key Stoic Philosophers
In this exploration of peak wisdom Stoic quotes, we’ll cover these three Stoic philosophers and their words.
- Seneca: Lucius Annaeus Seneca, often referred to simply as Seneca, was a Roman philosopher, statesman, and playwright. His philosophical writings, particularly his letters, provide deep insights into Stoic principles and practical wisdom.
- Epictetus: Epictetus was born a slave but became one of the most renowned Stoic philosophers. His teachings, recorded by his student Arrian in the “Discourses” and the “Enchiridion,” focus on the importance of inner freedom and self-mastery.
- Marcus Aurelius: As the Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE, Marcus Aurelius faced numerous challenges. His journal, known as the “Meditations,” offers a lot of his Stoic quotes on leadership, duty, and personal virtue.
Their Stoic quotes are not just words; they are a wellspring of wisdom that can be applied to navigate life’s challenges, enhance mental well-being, and foster personal growth.
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Seneca: 30 Hand-Picked Stoic Quotes
- “Prove your words by your deeds.” — Seneca
- “Philosophy teaches us to act, not to speak.” — Seneca
- “Let us cherish and love old age; for it is full of pleasure if one knows how to use it.” — Seneca
- “The man who does something under orders is not unhappy; he is unhappy who does something against his will.” — Seneca
- “No good thing is pleasant to possess without friends to share it.” — Seneca
- “A good conscience welcomes the crowd, but a bad conscience, even in solitude, is disturbed and troubled.” — Seneca
- “It is indeed foolish to be unhappy now because you may be unhappy at some future time.” — Seneca
- “Pleasure, unless it has been kept within bounds, tends to rush headlong into the abyss of sorrow.” — Seneca
- “Beasts avoid the dangers which they see, and when they have escaped them are free from care, but we men torment ourselves over that which is to come as well as over that which is past.” — Seneca
- “Why do you wonder that traveling abroad does not help you, seeing that you always take yourself with you? The person that set you wandering is ever at your heels.” — Seneca
- “If reason becomes your ruler, you will become ruler over many.” — Seneca
- “A man is sheltered just as well by thatch as by a roof of gold.” — Seneca
- “Treat your inferiors as you would want to be treated by your betters.” — Seneca
- “Even bad fortune is fickle. Perhaps it will come, perhaps not; in the meantime, it is not here. So look forward to better things.” — Seneca
- “Men do not care how nobly they live, but only how long. Although it is within the reach of every man to live nobly, but within no man’s power to live long.” — Seneca
- “Set aside a certain number of days, during which you shall be content with the scantiest and cheapest fare, with coarse and rough dress, saying to yourself the while ‘Is this the condition that I feared?” — Seneca
- “Scorn the pleasure that comes with the applause of the majority.” — Seneca
- “One man means as much to me as a multitude and a multitude as much as one man.” — Seneca
- “Our luxuries have condemned us to weakness; we are no longer even able to do the things we have kept away from.” — Seneca
- “Without philosophy the mind is sickly, and the body, too, though it may be very powerful, is strong only as that of a madman or lunatic is strong.” — Seneca
- “Learning virtue means unlearning vice.” — Seneca
- “Work is the sustenance of noble minds.” — Seneca
- “He who follows another not only discovers nothing but is not even investigating.” — Seneca
- “Kindness is clothed in openness and simplicity.” — Seneca
- “Be deaf to those who love you most of all; they pray for bad things with good intentions.” — Seneca
- “Whenever I wish to enjoy the quips of a clown, I am not compelled to hunt far. I can laugh at myself.” — Seneca
- “Devote yourself wholly to philosophy. You are worthy of her, she is worthy of you; greet one another with a loving embrace.” — Seneca
- “You do not know where death awaits you; so be ready for it everywhere.” — Seneca
- “For every day, a little of our life is taken from us even when we are growing, our life is on the wane.” — Seneca
- “Infinitely swift is the flight of time, as those can see who are looking backwards.” — Seneca
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Marcus Aurelius: 30 Hand-Picked Stoic Quotes
- “Even the longest fame is short after death.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “To move from one unselfish action to another with God in mind. Only there, delight and stillness.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Think not so much of what you don’t have, but what you do have.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Accustom yourself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and, as much as possible, be in the speaker’s mind.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Be like the promontory against which the waves continuously break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “No man will hinder you from living according to the reason of your own nature.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “To bear in mind constantly that all of this has happened before. And will happen again—the same plot from beginning to end, the identical staging. Produce them in your mind, as you know them from experience or from history…All just the same. Only the people different.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Your three components: body, breath, mind. Two are yours in trust; to the third alone you have clear title.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “It is your duty to leave another man’s wrongful act where it is.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Adapt yourself to things with which your lot has been cast.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “All these things which you see change at this very moment and will no longer be.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Men exist for the sake of one another. Teach them or bear with them.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “For every action, ask: How does it affect me? Could I change my mind about it? But soon I’ll be dead, and the slate’s empty. So this is the only question: Is it the action of a responsible being, part of society, and subject to the same decrees as God?” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Take away the complaint ‘I have been harmed’ and the harm has been taken away.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “The best way of avenging yourself is not to become like the wrong-doer.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Do not waste the remainder of your life in thoughts about others when you do not refer your thoughts to some object of common utility.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “No man loses any other life than that which he is now living, nor lives any other life than that which he is now losing.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “To stop talking about what the good man is like, and just be one.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance and be ready to let it go.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “It is in your power to live free from all compulsion in the greatest tranquility of mind.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what’s left and live it properly.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “A man then must stand erect, not be kept erect by others.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “To bear in mind constantly that all of this has happened before. And will happen again—the same plot from beginning to end, the identical staging. Produce them in your mind, as you know them from experience or from history…All just the same. Only the people different.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Even the longest fame is short after death.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Pass your life in truth and justice with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Be like the promontory against which the waves continuously break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Nothing is more wretched than a man who…seeks by conjecture what is in the minds of his neighbors without perceiving that it is sufficient to attend to the daemon within him and remove it sincerely.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “The best way of avenging yourself is not to become like the wrong-doer.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “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.” — Marcus Aurelius
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Epictetus: 30 Hand-Picked Stoic Quotes
- “People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them.” — Epictetus
- “It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.” — Epictetus
- “All religions must be tolerated… for every man must get to heaven in his own way.” — Epictetus
- “Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.” — Epictetus
- “You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.” — Epictetus
- “Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil but that you have increased a habit.” — Epictetus
- “There is nothing good or evil save in the will.” — Epictetus
- “If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked.” — Epictetus
- “If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it.” — Epictetus
- “Silence is safer than speech.” — Epictetus (One of the best stoic quotes)
- “Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public.” — Epictetus
- “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.” — Epictetus
- “Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.” — Epictetus
- “One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent.” — Epictetus
- “If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself. If it be a lie, laugh at it.” — Epictetus
- “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” — Epictetus
- “Only the educated are free.” — Epictetus
- “Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.” — Epictetus
- “First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus
- “Unless we place our religion and our treasure in the same thing, religion will always be sacrificed.” — Epictetus
- “The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.” — Epictetus
- “Neither should a ship rely on one small anchor nor should life rest on a single hope.” — Epictetus
- “The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.” — Epictetus
- “The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.” — Epictetus
- “When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.” — Epictetus
- “He is a drunkard who takes more than three glasses though he be not drunk.” — Epictetus
- “Control thy passions lest they take vengeance on thee.” — Epictetus
- “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.” — Epictetus
- “Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.” — Epictetus
- “He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus
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The Power of Stoic Quotes
Stoic quotes serve as concise and poignant reminders of the philosophy’s core principles.
They distill centuries of wisdom into bite-sized pieces that can easily be incorporated into your daily life.
These Stoic quotes are not mere words but rather profound insights that can help you navigate life’s complexities with grace and resilience.
Stoic quotes encapsulate the essence of Stoic philosophy in a few sentences or less.
They serve as condensed wisdom that can be easily remembered and applied to daily life.
When faced with challenges or decisions, these Stoic quotes can act as guiding stars, offering clarity and inspiration.
In the hustle and bustle of modern life, it’s easy to lose sight of our values and principles.
Stoic quotes act as daily reminders to stay true to the path of virtue, wisdom, and self-control.
By reflecting on these Stoic quotes regularly, you can reinforce Stoic ideals in your thoughts and actions.
How to Apply Stoic Quotes in Real Life
Incorporating these Stoic quotes in your life is essential to stay on top of the game with your mind clear and your actions clearer.
Learn the entire Philosophy of Stoicism and incorporate these Stoic quotes into your daily life.
Here are a few practical tips for that>>
- Morning Reflection: Begin your day by reading and reflecting on one of these Stoic quotes. Consider how it can shape your mindset for the day ahead.
- Journaling: Keep a Stoic journal where you write down your thoughts and reflections on these Stoic quotes. Track your progress in applying Stoic principles.
- Pause and Breathe: When faced with challenges or strong emotions, take a deep breath and recall a relevant Stoic quote. This can help you respond with greater composure and wisdom.
- Practice Gratitude: Stoicism emphasizes gratitude for what we have. Regularly express gratitude for the aspects of your life that align with Stoic values.
Final Thoughts!
In conclusion, Stoicism offers a timeless wellspring of wisdom that can profoundly impact your life.
As you explore the 90 powerful Stoic quotes we’ve shared, remember that these are not just words on a page; they are tools for personal growth, resilience, and well-being.
We encourage you to incorporate these Stoic quotes into your daily life, and in doing so, harness the profound wisdom of the ancient Stoic philosophers.
Thank you for taking the time to explore these Stoic quotes with us.
We invite you to share your favorite Stoic quotes or your thoughts on this post in the comments section below.
Together, let’s embark on a journey of self-discovery and personal transformation through the enduring wisdom of Stoicism.
All the best, King!
