Stoicism, an ancient philosophy founded in Athens, has guided individuals for centuries with its principles of resilience, virtue, and rational thinking.
The Stoics—philosophers like Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus—taught us how to face life’s challenges with calm and dignity, focusing on what is within our control while accepting the rest with grace.
This collection of 101 Stoic quotes offers timeless wisdom on cultivating inner strength, living in harmony with nature, and achieving true happiness by mastering our minds and emotions.
Whether you’re new to Stoicism or a seasoned student, these quotes will inspire and guide you on your journey to a more fulfilled, balanced life.
1.”The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
2. “He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a living man.” — Seneca
3. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
4. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus
5. “We suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
6. “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” — Epictetus
7. “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus
8. “Waste no more time arguing about what a good man should be. Be one.” — Marcus Aurelius
9. “If you are pained by external things, it is not they that disturb you, but your own judgment of them.” — Marcus Aurelius
10. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” — Seneca
11. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” — Epictetus
12. “How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” — Epictetus
13. “It is the power of the mind to be unconquerable.” — Seneca
14. “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” — Epictetus
15. “No man is free who is not master of himself.” — Epictetus
16. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” — Marcus Aurelius
17. “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.” — Seneca
18. “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” — Epictetus
19. “He who is brave is free.” — Seneca
20. “To be even-minded is the greatest virtue.” — Heraclitus
21. “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
22. “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” — Marcus Aurelius
23. “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” — Seneca
24. “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.” — Marcus Aurelius
25. “Only time can heal what reason cannot.” — Seneca
26. “He suffers more than necessary, who suffers before it is necessary.” — Seneca
27. “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.” — Zeno of Citium
28. “A wise man is content with his lot, whatever it may be, without wishing for what he has not.” — Seneca
29. “The ultimate value of life depends upon awareness and the power of contemplation rather than upon mere survival.” — Aristotle
30. “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” — Seneca
31. “Do every act of your life as if it were your last.” — Marcus Aurelius
32. “True happiness is to enjoy the present, without anxious dependence upon the future.” — Seneca
33. “We should always be asking ourselves: ‘Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?’” — Epictetus
34. “Receive without conceit, release without struggle.” — Marcus Aurelius
35. “It is not death that a man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live.” — Marcus Aurelius
36. “He who has a why to live can bear almost any how.” — Nietzsche (echoing Stoic thought)
37. “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.” — Seneca
38. “To be stoic is not to be emotionless, but to remain unaffected by your emotions.” — Epictetus
39. “The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.” — Seneca
40. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” — Marcus Aurelius
41. “Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant.” — Seneca
42. “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.” — Epictetus
43. “Nothing endures but change.” — Heraclitus (a precursor to Stoic thought)
44. “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” — Marcus Aurelius
45. “To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony.” — Marcus Aurelius
46. “Whoever is capable of angering you becomes your master.” — Epictetus
47. “You always own the option of having no opinion.” — Marcus Aurelius
48. “Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.” — Seneca
49. “Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior.” — Epictetus
50. “No great thing is created suddenly.” — Epictetus
51. “What upsets people is not things themselves, but their judgments about things.” — Epictetus
52. “No man is free who is not master of himself.” — Epictetus
53. “Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.” — Seneca
54. “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
55. “Death smiles at us all, but all a man can do is smile back.” — Marcus Aurelius
56. “Begin at once to live, and count each separate day as a separate life.” — Seneca
57. “If you wish to be a writer, write.” — Epictetus
58. “What doesn’t transmit light creates its own darkness.” — Marcus Aurelius
59. “To bear trials with a calm mind robs misfortune of its strength and burden.” — Seneca
60. “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” — Marcus Aurelius
61. “Whatever can happen at any time can happen today.” — Seneca
62. “We must all either wear out or rust out, every one of us. My choice is to wear out.” — Theodore Roosevelt (inspired by Stoicism)
63. “Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.” — Epictetus
64. “Wealth is the slave of a wise man. The master of a fool.” — Seneca
65. “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.” — Epictetus
66. “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” — Seneca
67. “To love only what happens, what was destined. No greater harmony.” — Marcus Aurelius
68. “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.” — Marcus Aurelius
69. “If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca
70. “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” — Marcus Aurelius
71. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” — Epictetus
72. “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind. Your soul takes on the color of your thoughts.” — Marcus Aurelius
73. “How ridiculous and how strange to be surprised at anything which happens in life.” — Marcus Aurelius
74. “The greatest wealth is a poverty of desires.” — Seneca
75. “Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time.” — Marcus Aurelius
76. “Difficulty shows what men are.” — Epictetus
77. “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” — Seneca
78. “If it is not right, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.” — Marcus Aurelius
79. “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.” — Epictetus
80. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.” — Seneca
81. “It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgments concerning them.” — Epictetus
82. “Think of yourself as dead. You have lived your life. Now, take what’s left and live it properly.” — Marcus Aurelius
83. “There is nothing outside of yourself that can ever enable you to get better, stronger, richer, quicker, or smarter. Everything is within. Everything exists. Seek nothing outside of yourself.” — Miyamoto Musashi (Stoicism influence)
84. “A man’s worth is no greater than the worth of his ambitions.” — Marcus Aurelius
85. “He who is brave is free.” — Seneca
86. “Be like the cliff against which the waves continually break; but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.” — Marcus Aurelius
87. “If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed.” — Marcus Aurelius
88. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” — Epictetus
89. “We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go.” — Seneca
90. “To understand the true nature of things is the beginning of wisdom.” — Marcus Aurelius
91. “To live a good life: We have the potential for it. If we learn to be indifferent to what makes no difference.” — Marcus Aurelius
92. “Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.” — Marcus Aurelius
93. “Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.” — James Allen (Stoicism influence)
94. “Only the educated are free.” — Epictetus
95. “Associate with people who are likely to improve you.” — Seneca
96. “There is no genius without a touch of madness.” — Seneca
97. “Everything that happens, happens as it should, and if you observe carefully, you will find this to be so.” — Marcus Aurelius
98. “If you want to improve, you must be content to be thought foolish and stupid.” — Epictetus
99. “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” — Epictetus
100. “It is not the man who has too little, but the man who craves more, that is poor.” — Seneca
101. “Remember: You are here for a short while. Make the most of it.” — Marcus Aurelius
As you’ve explored these 101 timeless Stoic quotes, we hope you’ve found inspiration to apply the wisdom of the Stoics to your own life. Stoicism offers valuable lessons on resilience, self-mastery, and living in alignment with nature, principles that are as relevant today as they were in ancient times.
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Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.