8 Stoic Quotes That Can Change Your Life

Timeless pearls of wisdom from ancient Athens.

Athens in the early 3rd century BC witnessed the emergence of Stoicism as a powerful philosophy with the ability to fortify the human mind against suffering, the challenges of life, and most importantly its own vulnerabilities.

Stoicism’s wide appeal can be attributed to the fact that the early stoics came from almost every imaginable walk of life — a Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, a slave Epictetus, a ship-wreck survivor Zeno, a clerk Seneca and Julius Caesar’s political rival Cato being the prominent ones.

Stoicism’s core idea is living in accordance with reason and the four cardinal virtues — courage, justice, wisdom, and self-control. It also teaches us that suffering is only an interpretation or perception of circumstances, rather than reality.

I want to share 8 quotes by the Stoics whose wisdom continues to remain as reliable and profound as ever.

Strive towards the person you want to become

“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.” — Epictetus

As we go through life we develop dreams and aspirations but most of us end up in “wish land” — “Wish I had that”, “Wish I could do that”, “Wish I looked like that” etc. instead of taking action.

When I was overweight, I was extremely insecure about my body and dreamt of walking shirtless flaunting a six-pack. It remained a dream for a long time as I didn’t take a single step towards achieving it.

To be honest it seemed outright impossible to me.

A fun wager with a friend sparked the flame that finally made me get shredded and achieve a visible six-pack.

I started off clueless but the age-old cliche “Where there is a will there is a way” proved true. After six months of hard work, learning, and a lot of mistakes, what seemed impossible earlier had become reality.

Get out of wish land, envision what you want to be, develop a strong will to achieve it, believe in yourself, and take action.

Don’t let other’s opinions control your life

“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” — Marcus Aurelius

When I was bullied in middle school, my self-esteem hit rock bottom and I developed body image issues.

I would seek validation for the smallest of things and constantly try to please the people around me. I had become a “shell” of a person without an identity of my own.

You are holding yourself back from achieving true happiness and success by letting other’s opinions control your life.

Believe in yourself, know your worth, value your own opinion, and do things that make you happy.

When you try to please other people, you end up doing exactly that— pleasing others and not yourself.

Think before speaking

“I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.” — Cato

Under the influence of emotions, feelings, or the situation, we often blurt unpleasant things that we don’t mean or intend to. Such things become a cause for rifts in relations and much regret later on.

During a short argument with a close friend, my temper flared and I happened to utter really hurtful things that wrecked our friendship.

It took months to mend what a moment broke, such is the power of the tongue.

This reminds me of the quote “The tongue is sharper than the sword” — the wounds inflicted by harsh words are more painful and take much longer to heal than physical ones.

Take a moment to calm down and think clearly before running your tongue the next time.

Learn to enjoy solitude

“Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.” — Seneca

Solitude has been one of the greatest teachers of my life.

When I was going through extreme internal conflict struggling with indecision and self-doubt, spending time alone in self-introspection guided me out of the mental tempest.

Socializing and enjoying the company of others is important but being able to enjoy your own company is much more important.

Solitude allows you to think, and reflect on your thoughts and actions free of distractions and external influences.

Being alone can help you develop self-awareness, alleviate stress, improve happiness, and even come up with solutions to problems that seemed impossible earlier.

It's not by pure chance that most people go on solo trips to “free” their minds or “discover” themselves, it is the power of solitude.

Know your own faults before criticizing others

“Be tolerant with others and strict with yourself.” — Marcus Aurelius

We are often quick to point our fingers at others and criticize or ridicule them for their seemingly endless faults while overlooking our own.

Criticism breeds contempt, hate, and more criticism while being aware of our shortcomings and owning up to our mistakes breeds admiration, and likeability.

Accept the fact that you or anyone for that matter is neither infallible nor faultless. People can be jerks, fools, unreliable, unscrupulous, or anything else, and let them be since that’s not in your control.

What is in your control is what you do, so be disciplined with yourself.

Adopt a positive attitude towards any situation

“When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.” — Viktor Frankl

Unfortunately, there are many things outside your control that can sometimes hit you hard in life.

Viktor Frankl was an Austrian psychiatrist to whom life dealt one of the worst blows imaginable when he was locked up in a concentration camp with inhuman living conditions by the Nazis during World War II.

He survived through a strong will to reunite with his loved ones and live to tell the tale. He used adversity as an opportunity to cultivate mental resilience and rich “inner” life.

When you find yourself in harsh unforeseen situations, accept the situation, find meaning in it, and see what can be done to improve it instead of lamenting and wallowing in self-pity.

Be unafraid of being proven wrong

“If anyone can refute me — show me I’m making a mistake or looking at things from the wrong perspective — I’ll gladly change. It’s the truth I’m after, and the truth never harmed anyone.” — Marcus Aurelius

Everything we know and see is our perception of the world, not objective reality. What we hold as right needn’t be right for others and vice versa.

As humans, we are not infallible but most of us hate, are afraid, and even find it “shameful” to be proven wrong. As a result, we close off our minds and dwell in ignorance.

The real shame is not in being wrong but in staying wrong — which is precisely what happens when you are close-minded.

Only when you become open-minded and unafraid to be proven wrong do you unlock the doors to true learning and an ever-widening perspective.

Live life to the fullest

“Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.” — Seneca

Every day of your past has something to offer in terms of learning. By forgetting the past you forfeit this knowledge. Remember your past mistakes and learn from them to become a better person.

Every new day offers an opportunity to achieve something. By putting things off and wasting time, you neglect the present. Understand the value of time, try to make the most out of every day, and live every moment fully.

The future is uncertain and out of your control. By thinking about death, being distressed about problems, and having a pessimistic outlook on life, you fear the future.

No matter the situation in life, you can find meaning and happiness in it by thinking and doing only what can be done in the present and not worrying about the future.

In a Nutshell

• Strive towards the kind of person you want to be by taking action instead of just wishing.
• Don’t let other’s opinions control your life. Believe in yourself, know your worth, value your own opinion, and do things for your own happiness rather than to please others.
• Think before you speak. Before speaking under the influence of feelings, emotions, or the situation, take a few moments to calmly think.
• Learn to enjoy your own company. Spend time alone to develop self-awareness, reflect on your thoughts, work out the problems of your life, and relieve stress.
• Be disciplined with yourself but tolerant of others since every action and word of yours is in your control so while others and external things aren’t in your control.
• Adapt to the situation when you can’t change it. Accept it, find meaning in it, and use it as an opportunity to improve yourself.
• Be open-minded. Understand that different people have different perspectives and be open to the possibility of being wrong.
• Life isn’t short and anxious when you learn from the past, live meaningfully in the present, and not fear the future which is uncertain.