Stoic Quotes for Everyday Life
Passages from Marcus Aurelius, Epictetus, and Seneca, grouped by the situation they help with.
Stoic quotes about control
Epictetus split life into what is up to us and what is not. Read more Epictetus quotes.
Of things some are in our power, and others are not.
If thou art pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs thee, but thy own judgment about it.
A man is as wretched as he has convinced himself that he is.
Stoic quotes for hard times
Marcus Aurelius wrote Meditations as notes to himself while he was emperor. Read more Marcus Aurelius quotes.
Be like the promontory against which the waves continually break, but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it.
But nothing else can conquer will except the will itself.
How often has the expected never come to pass!
When you are angry
Seneca, a Roman statesman, wrote a whole essay on anger. Read more Seneca quotes.
The greatest remedy for anger is delay.
The best way of avenging thyself is not to become like [the wrong-doer].
For if you once gain time and delay, you will more easily master yourself.
Time, death, and memento mori
“Memento mori” means “remember that you must die.”
Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee.
While we are postponing, life speeds by.
Dealing with other people
The Stoics held that people are made to live together, and that we owe one another patience.
That which is not good for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee.
When any person treats you ill or speaks ill of you, remember that he does this or says this because he thinks that it is his duty.
No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.
Amor fati: accepting what happens
“Amor fati,” or “love of fate,” is a later label for this Stoic practice.
Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.
Nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear.
Whatever happens, assume that it was bound to happen, and do not be willing to rail at Nature.
Often misattributed
These lines are often credited to the wrong person.
“Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.”
Usually credited to Marcus Aurelius. Meditations has no matching passage, and Wikiquote lists the line as misattributed. Source
“You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”
Usually credited to Marcus Aurelius. No known translation has this wording. It is a modern paraphrase; compare Meditations 8.47 above. Source
“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.”
Usually credited to Marcus Aurelius. It comes from Elbert Hubbard's magazine The Fra, volume 12, number 6, page 171. Source
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
Usually credited to Seneca. No ancient passage says this. A similar line was printed anonymously in 1912, and credit to Seneca began in the 1990s. Source
Questions
What is a good Stoic quote to start with?
Start with Enchiridion 1, where Epictetus says some things are in our power and others are not. Try it on one decision today.
How can I use daily Stoic quotes?
Read one passage in the morning and write down one thing it asks you to do. That evening, look back at how it went.
Is Stoicism about suppressing emotions?
Not exactly. The Stoics examined the judgments behind anger, fear, and desire, and tried to meet events with reason.
Did the ancient Stoics use the phrase “amor fati”?
No. “Amor fati” is a later label for the Stoic idea of accepting what happens. The passages under that heading are the Stoics' own words.
Are the Stoic quotes I see online accurate?
Many are, but some popular lines have no ancient source. The misattributed lines below are a few common ones.
Translations are by George Long, Richard M. Gummere, and Aubrey Stewart, and are in the public domain.