Quotes About Stoicism

I observed that everybody believed that he thought as he spoke, and that in all that he did he never had any bad intention; and he never showed amazement and surprise, and was never in a hurry, and never put off doing a thing, nor was perplexed nor dejected, nor did he ever laugh to disguise his vexation, nor, on the other hand, was he ever passionate or suspicious.

conforming of the life to nature (????????????? ?? ????? ???) was the Stoic idea of Virtue.

I will not allow things outside my mind to affect my mind. I will not let external events shake and shatter my inner peace. I will not waste my energy on things outside my control

I am happy, though this has happened to me, because I continue free from pain, neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future

Now to conclude; upon all occasion of sorrow remember henceforth to make use of this dogma, that whatsoever it is that hath happened unto thee, is in very deed no such thing of itself, as a misfortune; but that to bear it generously, is certainly great happiness.

not to busy myself about vain things, and not easily to believe those things, which are commonly spoken

That in this, there is strength and nerves, or vigour and fortitude: whereof anger and indignation is altogether void.

Si len úbohá duÅ¡i?ka nesúca mÅ•tvolu," ako vravel Epiktetos.

And as grief doth proceed from weakness, so doth anger. For both, both he that is angry and that grieveth, have received a wound, and cowardly have as it were yielded themselves unto their affections.

So there are two reasons to embrace what happens. One is that it's happening to you. It was prescribed for you, and it pertains to you. The thread was spun long ago, by the oldest cause of all. The other reason is that what happens to an individual is a cause of well-being in what directs the world—of its well-being, its fulfillment, of its very existence, even.

Nothing that goes on in anyone else's mind can harm you. Nor can the shifts and changes in the world around you. —Then where is harm to be found? In your capacity to see it. Stop doing that and everything will be fine.

thou wilt cease to be held by pains and pleasures, and to be a slave to the vessel, which is as much inferior as that which serves it is superior: for the one is intelligence and deity; the other is earth and corruption.

let it judge that nothing is either bad or good which can happen equally to the bad man and the good.

When a man kisses his child, said Epictetus, he should whisper to himself, To-morrow perchance thou wilt die.- But those are words of bad omen.- No word is a word of bad omen, said Epictetus, which expresses any work of nature; or if it is so, it is also a word of bad omen to speak of the ears of corn being reaped.

For with what art thou discontented? With the badness of men? Recall to thy mind this conclusion, that rational animals exist for one another, and that to endure is a part of justice, and that men do wrong involuntarily; and consider how many already, after mutual enmity, suspicion, hatred, and fighting, have been stretched dead, reduced to ashes; and be quiet at last.

that it is not men's acts which disturb us, for those acts have their foundation in men's ruling principles, but it is our own opinions which disturb us. Take away these opinions then, and resolve to dismiss thy judgement about an act as if it were something grievous, and thy anger is gone. How then shall I take away these opinions? By reflecting that no wrongful act of another brings shame on thee:

Now say I, if so be that this be both hurtful unto them, and yet unavoidable, would not, thinkest thou, the whole itself be in a sweet case, all the parts of it being subject to alteration, yea and by their making itself fitted for corruption, as consisting of things different and contrary

An angry countenance is much against nature, and it is oftentimes the proper countenance of them that are at the point of death. But were it so, that all anger and passion were so thoroughly quenched in thee, that it were altogether impossible to kindle it any more, yet herein must not thou rest satisfied, but further endeavour by good consequence of true ratiocination, perfectly to conceive and understand, that all anger and passion is against reason.

Acuérdate de esto y de lo siguiente, que de poquísimas cosas depende tener una vida feliz. Y

If any god told thee that thou shalt die to-morrow, or certainly on the day after to-morrow, thou wouldst not care much whether it was on the third day or on the morrow, unless thou wast in the highest degree mean-spirited- for how small is the difference?- So think it no great thing to die after as many years as thou canst name rather than to-morrow.

no renuncies a ser libre, decente, comunitario, dócil ante dios.

La perfección del carácter supone que cada día transcurra como el último, sin palpitos, sin cabezadas, sin actuaciones teatrales.

for let that which suffers, look to itself.

56. Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now take what's left and live it properly