Looking for some powerful stoic quotes? We have rounded up the best collection of stoic quotes, sayings, and captions (with images & pictures) by the big three of Stoicism: Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, and Epictetus, and others. Learn the wisdom of life from the Stoics about life, love, death, anger, change, calm, peace, and more.
Stoicism, a philosophical movement birthed in ancient Greece and flourishing in Rome, offers timeless wisdom on leading a life of virtue, resilience, and mindfulness.
Also See: Greek Quotes
The four virtues of Stoicism focus on courage, justice, wisdom, and self-control. It also teaches that our suffering is only a perception or interpretation of circumstances, rather than reality.
It teaches the endurance of pain or hardship without the display of feelings and without complaint. Don’t forget to read our deep-thinking quotes and sayings about life.
Also See: Deep Philosophical Quotes
Find below a selection of our powerful Stoic quotes. If you are new to the philosophy, we invite you to read our introduction to Stoicism article. We have categorized the posts in the following sections;
Top 10 Stoic Quotes
- “To be even minded is the greatest virtue.”— Heraclitus
Stoic Quotes - “To be calm is the highest achievement of the self.”— Zen proverb
Best Stoic Quotes - “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”— Zeno of Citium
- “Self-control is strength. Right thought is mastery. Calmness is power.”— James Allen
- “Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”— Epictetus
Daily Stoic Quotes - “Because a thing seems difficult for you, do not think it impossible for anyone to accomplish.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “The tranquility that comes when you stop caring what they say. Or think, or do. Only what you do.”— Marcus Aurelius
Stoic Philosophy Quotes - “Define for me now what the “indifferents” are. Whatever things we cannot control. Tell me the upshot. They are nothing to me.” — Epictetus
- “Things stand outside of us, themselves by themselves, neither knowing anything of themselves nor expressing any judgment.” — Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius stoic quotes - “He has the most who is content with the least.”— Diogenes
Best Stoic Quotes
- “Fate leads the willing, and drags along the reluctant.” — Seneca
- “The whole future lies in uncertainty: live immediately.”— Seneca
- “It does not matter what you bear, but how you bear it.”— Seneca
- “Today I escaped from anxiety. Or no, I discarded it, because it was within me, in my own perceptions — not outside.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Plato has a fine saying, that he who would discourse of man should survey, as from some high watchtower, the things of earth.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Let us meet with bravery whatever may befall us. Let us never feel a shudder at the thought of being wounded or of being made a prisoner, or of poverty or persecution.” — Seneca
- “Asia and Europe: distant recesses of the universe. The ocean: a drop of water. Mount Athos: a molehill. The present: a split second in eternity. Minuscule, transitory, insignificant.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Floods will rob us of one thing, fire of another. These are conditions of our existence which we cannot change. What we can do is adopt a noble spirit, such a spirit as befits a good person, so that we may bear up bravely under all that fortune sends us and bring our wills into tune with nature’s.” — Seneca
- “[It is] like seeing roasted meat and other dishes in front of you and suddenly realizing: This is a dead fish. A dead bird. A dead pig. Or that this noble vintage [wine] is rotted grapes… perceptions like that… latching onto things and piercing through them, to see what they really are… to strip away the legend that encrusts them.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “You can discard most of the junk that clutters your mind…and clear out space for yourself… by comprehending the scale of the world… by contemplating infinite time… by thinking of the speed with which things change — each part of every thing; the narrow space between our birth and death; the infinite time before; the equally unbounded time that follows.” — Marcus Aurelius
The Best Quotes From The Stoics
- “The Fates lead the willing, but drag the unwilling.” ― Cleanthes
- “An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.” — Cato The Elder
- “The universe itself is God and the universal outpouring of its soul.” ― Chrysippus
- “Remember that very little is needed to make a happy life.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures” ― Musonius Rufus
- “Remember: Matter. How tiny your share of it. Time. How brief and fleeting your allotment of it. Fate. How small a role you play in it.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Whatever happens to you has been waiting to happen since the beginning of time. The twining strands of fate wove both of them together.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.” — Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius Stoic Quotes
- “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.” — Marcus Aurelius
Famous Stoic Quotes - “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “You have power over your mind—not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius
Stoicism Quotes - “External thinks are not the problem. It’s your assessment of them. Which you can erase right now.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Choose not to be harmed — and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed — and you haven’t been.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “Look back over the past, with its changing empires that rose and fell, and you can foresee the future too.” — Marcus Aurelius
- “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” — Marcus Aurelius
Greatest Seneca Stoic Quotes
- “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.” – Seneca
Stoic Quote Of The Day - “It is the quality rather than the quantity that matters.” — Seneca
- “Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body. ” — Seneca
- “The mind that is anxious about future events is miserable.” — Seneca
- “If a man knows not which port he sails, no wind is favorable.” — Seneca
- “How does it help…to make troubles heavier by bemoaning them?” — Seneca
- “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man without trials.” — Seneca
- “He who fears death will never do anything worth of a man who is alive.” — Seneca
- “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.” — Seneca
- “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.”— Seneca
Powerful Epictetus Stoic Quotes
- “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” — Epictetus
Epictetus Stoic Quotes - “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” — Epictetus
- “Anything or anyone capable of angering you becomes your master.” — Epictetus
- “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.” — Epictetus
- “How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?” — Epictetus
- “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus
- “We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?” — Epictetus
- “Curb your desire—don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need.”— Epictetus
- “Don’t just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person.” — Epictetus
- “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
Looking For More Deep Words Of Wisdom
While these quotes are just a snippet of the wealth of wisdom from Stoic philosophers, they encapsulate some of the core teachings and perspectives that Stoicism offers on life, adversity, and personal growth.
Which of the above Stoic quotes inspired you the most? Let us know in the comments section below. Feel free to share these stoic quotes with friends and family to motivate them on Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, Pinterest, Facebook, and more.
