By Rishi Mago
Epictetus
Epictetus, who was born a slave, later became an important Stoic philosopher. His teachings were written down by his student Arrian in The Discourses and Enchiridion. Here are just some of my favorite quotes from Epictetus:
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“It isn’t the events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgments about them.”
“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. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.”
“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
Seneca
Statue of Seneca in Cordoba, Spain
Lucius Annaeus Seneca, known as Seneca the Younger or simply, Seneca, was a Roman Stoic philosopher, statesman, and dramatist. His Letters from a Stoic is essential reading for any student of Stoicism. Here are just some of my favorite quotes from Seneca:
“There is no easy way from the earth to the stars”
“If a man knows not to which port he sails, no wind is favorable.”
“Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity.”
“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.”
“Associate with people who are likely to improve you.”
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.”
“Fate leads the willing and drags along the reluctant.”
Marcus Aurelius
Marcus Aurelius, whose full name was Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Augustus, was a Roman emperor (from 161 to 180 CE) rather than a philosopher. But, he is an important Stoic thinker and practitioner and is often referred to as The Philosopher. His classic book, Meditations, is an important source of Stoic thought. Here are just some of my favorite quotes from Marcus Aurelius:
“The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
“You always own the option of having no opinion. There is never any need to get worked up or to trouble your soul about things you can’t control. These things are not asking to be judged by you. Leave them alone.”
“The things you think about determine the quality of your mind.”
“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.”
“How unlucky I am that this should happen to me. But not at all. Perhaps, say how lucky I am that I am not broken by what has happened, and I am not afraid of what is about to happen. For the same blow might have stricken anyone, but not many would have absorbed it without capitulation and complaint.”
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