Timeless Stoic Wisdom: 100 Quotes on Wisdom & Perspective That Still Illuminate Minds Today

Zeno of Citium (334–262 BC)

1. The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.

2. We have two ears and one mouth, therefore we should listen twice as much as we speak.

3. Well-being is attained little by little, yet it is no small thing itself.

4. Follow wherever reason leads.

5. All that is in accordance with reason is free and all that is contrary to reason is slave.

6. Man conquers the world by conquering himself.

7. A bad feeling is a disturbance of the soul, contrary to nature.

8. Extravagance is its own destruction.

9. Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.

10. No loss should grieve us more than the loss of time.

Cleanthes (331–232 BC)

1. Lead me, Zeus, and you, Fate, wherever you have assigned me to go.

2. He who delays is lost.

3. Fate guides the willing and drags along the reluctant.

4. Contentment is true wealth.

5. Observe each event as if in a mirror.

6. Reason is the sovereign of the soul.

7. By changing our perspective, we change our world.

8. Virtue alone deserves the name of good.

9. Seek truth, and you will find it.

10. True power lies in self-knowledge.

Chrysippus (c. 279–206 BC)

1. It is our opinions that make us unhappy, not events.

2. Nothing is good or bad by itself—only our judgments make it so.

3. Wisdom lies in distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary.

4. The mind freed from passions is an impenetrable fortress.

5. Examine your impressions before accepting them.

6. A wise man looks for what he can control—and ignores the rest.

7. He who follows reason lives in harmony with himself.

8. To know external things is often beyond us; to know ourselves is within our grasp.

9. Clarity of mind is the first step toward true freedom.

10. Judge events by their nature, not by your fear or desire.

Seneca the Younger (4 BC–65 AD)

1. We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.

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

3. Associate with people who will help you improve.

4. True happiness is to enjoy the present without anxious dependence on the future.

5. Time discovers truth.

6. No man was ever wise by chance.

7. Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.

8. If a man does not know to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.

9. Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

10. Fate leads the willing and drags the unwilling.

Epictetus (55–135 AD)

1. Some things are in our control and others not.

2. Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them.

3. First say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.

4. It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.

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

6. Learn not to desire what you cannot have.

7. To accuse others is to accuse yourself.

8. Freedom is the only worthy goal in life.

9. If someone can prove me wrong, I shall gladly change my mind.

10. Be careful how you interpret events: to the wise, everything can serve as a lesson.

Marcus Aurelius (121–180 AD)

1. You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.

2. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

3. Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.

4. Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

5. Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.

6. Reject your sense of injury, and the injury itself disappears.

7. When you arise in the morning, think of what a privilege it is to be alive.

8. Receive without pride, let go without attachment.

9. The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.

10. Look well into thyself; there is a source of strength which will always spring up.

Musonius Rufus (30–100 AD)

1. A wise person sees beyond what is and discerns what ought to be.

2. Philosophy begins and ends in daily practice.

3. Virtue is not learned in words but in deeds.

4. The mind that sees clearly errs little.

5. Temperance in all things leads to clarity.

6. A good judge examines both sides before deciding.

7. Adversity reveals true character and sharpens perspective.

8. True wisdom lies in knowing how little we know.

9. Self-examination is the path to self-mastery.

10. Every moment is an opportunity to choose rightly.

Cicero & Other Voices

1. Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues but the parent of all others. — Cicero

2. To be ignorant of what occurred before you were born is to remain always a child. — Cicero

3. No one thinks, or judges, or reasons, but to his own satisfaction. — Cicero

4. The wise prepare for the days that did not come. — Antisthenes

5. It is better to light one small candle than to curse the darkness. — Confucius

6. He who knows others is learned; he who knows himself is wise. — Lao Tzu

7. The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. — Socrates

8. An unexamined life is not worth living. — Socrates

9. Seek first to understand, then to be understood. — Covey

10. Perspective is worth 80 IQ points. — Alan Kay

Additional Stoic Reflections

1. Judge not by the appearance, but by the reality behind it.

2. Distance yourself from that which disturbs your peace.

3. Be indifferent to what makes no difference.

4. Change your opinions, keep to your principles.

5. Look back but do not stare.

6. Every obstacle is an opportunity for insight.

7. The key to wisdom is constant self-reflection.

8. Speak only if it improves upon the silence.

9. He who sees what is right and does it not, is guilty.

10. Reason rules the soul when passions do not govern.

11. A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence.

12. Let your judgment be guided by virtue alone.

13. Beware the barrenness of a busy life.

14. Prosperity learns friends; adversity tries them.

15. Silence is a lesson learned through life’s many noises.

16. The sage is contented with himself.

17. Knowledge is the food of the soul.

18. Don’t be deceived: true wealth is inward.

19. To perceive is to suffer; to judge is to heal.

20. Live according to nature, and you will never err.

Let these timeless reflections on wisdom and perspective challenge and uplift you daily. Use them as a compass for judgment, a lens for insight, and a source of calm strength—whatever the world may bring.