A Stoic's Guide to Wealth: 100 Quotes on Money, Ambition, and True Riches

Money. Wealth. Success. These topics dominate modern life, yet they troubled ancient philosophers just as much. The Stoics—from the enslaved Epictetus to the emperor Marcus Aurelius—offered profound wisdom on wealth that transcends time. Here are 100 powerful quotes revealing the Stoic perspective on money, ambition, and what it means to be truly rich.

Understanding the Stoic View of Wealth

For the Stoics, wealth was a "preferred indifferent"—nice to have but neither inherently good nor bad. True wealth lay not in possessions but in character, wisdom, and freedom from desire. This balanced approach neither glorified nor condemned money, but rather focused on our relationship with it.

100 Stoic Quotes on Wealth and Money

On True Wealth

1. "Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants." — Epictetus

2. "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor." — Seneca

3. "No man is crushed by misfortune unless he has first been deceived by prosperity." — Seneca

4. "Very little is needed to make a happy life; it is all within yourself, in your way of thinking." — Marcus Aurelius

5. "The shortest cut to riches is to despise riches." — Seneca

On Contentment vs. Craving

1. "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." — Epictetus

2. "Whoever does not regard what he has as most ample wealth is unhappy, though he be master of the world." — Epictetus

3. "The greatest wealth is to live content with little." — Plato

4. "To be content with what we possess is the greatest and most secure of riches." — Cicero

5. "A fortune is not enough for someone who is enough for fortune." — Seneca

On the Dangers of Wealth

1. "These individuals have riches just as we say that we 'have a fever,' when really the fever has us." — Seneca

2. "The acquisition of riches has been for many men, not an end, but a change, of troubles." — Seneca

3. "Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool." — Seneca

4. "People are frugal in guarding their personal property; but as soon as it comes to squandering time they are most wasteful." — Seneca

5. "Nothing is enough for the man to whom enough is too little." — Epicurus

On Simple Living

1. "He who is not content with what he has would not be content with whatever he acquires." — Socrates

2. "The goal of life is to live in agreement with nature." — Zeno of Citium

3. "Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." — Leonardo da Vinci

4. "The man who adapts himself to his slender means and makes himself wealthy on a little sum, is the truly rich man." — Seneca

5. "How many things I can do without!" — Socrates

On Virtue Over Wealth

1. "Virtue is the only good, and vice the only evil." — Zeno of Citium

2. "Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one." — Marcus Aurelius

3. "The wise man regards wealth as a slave, the fool as a master." — Seneca

4. "Are you ashamed to care for the acquisition of wealth when you neither care nor take thought for wisdom and truth?" — Socrates

5. "No man can live a happy life who regards himself alone." — Seneca

On Ambition

1. "Ambition is the last refuge of the failure." — Oscar Wilde

2. "If you live in harmony with nature you will never be poor; if you live according to opinion you will never be rich." — Epictetus

3. "To live is not merely to breathe; it is to act." — Jean-Jacques Rousseau

4. "The wise man's riches lie in the abundance of his accomplishments." — Proverb

5. "Labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire, called conscience." — George Washington

On Generosity

1. "No one is so poor he has nothing to give, and no one is so rich he has nothing to receive." — Pope John Paul II

2. "Do good by stealth, and blush to find it fame." — Alexander Pope

3. "Giving is the master key to success, in all applications of human life." — Bryant McGill

4. "Money is like manure; it's not worth a thing unless it's spread around." — Thornton Wilder

5. "He who wished to secure the good of others, has already secured his own." — Confucius

On Financial Wisdom

1. "Live below your means." — Stoic Principle

2. "A portion of your income should always be saved." — The Richest Man in Babylon

3. "Beware of little expenses; a small leak will sink a great ship." — Benjamin Franklin

4. "Never spend your money before you have it." — Thomas Jefferson

5. "Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen six, result happiness." — Charles Dickens

On Attachment to Possessions

1. "We possess nothing except time, which belongs even to those who have nothing." — Seneca

2. "All possessions are on loan from the universe." — Marcus Aurelius (paraphrased)

3. "Think of your many years of procrastination." — Marcus Aurelius

4. "You have a choice between the natural wealth of the soul and the artificial wealth of material things." — Seneca

5. "External things are not the problem. It's your assessment of them." — Marcus Aurelius

On Success

1. "Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts." — Winston Churchill

2. "The only impossible journey is the one you never begin." — Tony Robbins

3. "Don't wish it were easier. Wish you were better." — Jim Rohn

4. "If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid." — Epictetus

5. "First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do." — Epictetus

On Gratitude

1. "He is a wise man who has learned to enjoy what he has and to give thanks for his station in life." — Stoic Principle

2. "Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all others." — Cicero

3. "When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive." — Marcus Aurelius

4. "Acknowledge what you have rather than what you lack." — Stoic Wisdom

5. "Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not." — Epicurus

On Work and Effort

1. "If you are willing to do only what's easy, life will be hard. If you're willing to do what's hard, life will be easy." — T. Harv Eker

2. "The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way." — Marcus Aurelius

3. "Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body." — Seneca

4. "It is not the man who has little, but he who desires more, that is poor." — Seneca

5. "Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life." — Seneca

On Freedom

1. "Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control." — Epictetus

2. "The man who is his own master knocks in vain at the doors of poetry." — Baudelaire

3. "True freedom requires living simply and desiring little." — Stoic Principle

4. "No man is free who is not master of himself." — Epictetus

5. "You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength." — Marcus Aurelius

On Perspective

1. "A man's as miserable as he thinks he is." — Seneca

2. "The mind is the source of happiness and unhappiness." — Buddha

3. "Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is perspective, not truth." — Marcus Aurelius

4. "It is not things themselves that disturb us, but our opinions about them." — Epictetus

5. "Choose not to be harmed—and you won't feel harmed." — Marcus Aurelius

On Enough

1. "Knowing what is enough is true wealth." — Lao Tzu

2. "Nature's needs are small; those of opinion are limitless." — Seneca

3. "Limit your desires and you will limit your sufferings." — Epictetus

4. "The man who knows when he has enough is rich." — Stoic Wisdom

5. "To be satisfied with little is the greatest wisdom." — Seneca

On Character vs. Reputation

1. "A good character is the only guarantee of everlasting, carefree happiness." — Seneca

2. "Reputation is what other people know about you. Character is what you really are." — Wooden

3. "If you live for external things, you never will have anything that's truly yours." — Epictetus

4. "Be more concerned with your character than your reputation." — Wooden

5. "The best revenge is not to be like your enemy." — Marcus Aurelius

On Time as Wealth

1. "The most precious gift we can offer anyone is our attention." — Thich Nhat Hanh

2. "Time is our most valuable currency." — Stoic Principle

3. "You must know the measure of your will." — Marcus Aurelius

4. "Life is divided into three periods: past, present, and future. Of these, the present is short." — Seneca

5. "The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately." — Seneca

On Inner Riches

1. "The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away." — Marcus Aurelius

2. "The richest man is he whose pleasures are the cheapest." — Thoreau

3. "The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires." — Seneca

4. "Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish." — Epictetus

5. "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." — Epictetus

On Wisdom

1. "Wisdom allows nothing to be good that will not be so forever." — Seneca

2. "The only true wisdom is knowing you know nothing." — Socrates

3. "Knowledge will bring you the opportunity to make a difference." — Claire Fagin

4. "Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom." — Aristotle

5. "An investment in knowledge pays the best interest." — Benjamin Franklin

On Legacy

1. "It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live." — Marcus Aurelius

2. "You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think." — Marcus Aurelius

3. "The best way to predict your future is to create it." — Abraham Lincoln

4. "What we do now echoes in eternity." — Marcus Aurelius

5. "The happiness and unhappiness of the rational animal depends not on what he feels but on what he does." — Marcus Aurelius

Practical Applications: Living as a Wealthy Stoic

The Stoics teach us that true wealth involves:

1. Cultivating Few Wants

Rather than constantly seeking more, reduce your desires. This immediately makes you "richer" without acquiring anything.

2. Living Below Your Means

Practice temperance by saving and avoiding unnecessary luxuries that don't contribute to your character or well-being.

3. Using Money Virtuously

If you have wealth, use it to support others, contribute to society, and enable your virtuous actions.

4. Maintaining Detachment

Remember that possessions are "on loan" from the universe and can be recalled at any time. Enjoy what you have without clinging to it.

5. Prioritizing Character

Focus on developing wisdom, justice, courage, and temperance—the only true goods that cannot be taken from you.

Why This Matters Today

In our consumer-driven society, where success is often measured by net worth and material possessions, Stoic wisdom offers a refreshing alternative. These ancient insights remind us that:

• Happiness doesn't depend on wealth

• True security comes from within

• Character outlasts possessions

• Freedom comes from desiring less

• Generosity enriches the giver

Final Thought

The Stoics didn't condemn wealth or glorify poverty. Instead, they offered a balanced, wise approach: use money as a tool for living virtuously, but never mistake it for the good life itself. As Seneca wisely noted, "It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor."

True wealth lies not in your bank account but in the quality of your character, the depth of your wisdom, and the freedom that comes from desiring little and appreciating much.