The best phrases of Stoic philosophy

Popularly known as one of the movements of philosophy most important of its time, Stoicism arose more than 2,000 years ago as a philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century BC C. Unlike most movements created in that period, This is characterized by being one of the most practical.

He stoicism It aims to achieve the individual well-being of people, but with the overall goal of improving society. To do this it is advisable not to have material desires that do not allow you to enjoy the happiness of the moment and generate a constant feeling of dissatisfaction.

For the Stoic philosophers, Happiness and mood cannot depend on external factors over which you have no controlbut they do so depending on our way of seeing the world and the emotions that the things that happen awaken in us.

That is, try to develop self-confidence and discard the superficial aspects and elements that limit happiness.

Epictetus explained that philosophy is a way of life and not simply a theoretical discipline. Starting from these foundations, the philosopher understood that external events are beyond our control and we must accept it, while as individuals we are responsible for our own actions.

From there one of its principals was born theories, the which indicates that “happiness does not consist in wanting things but in being free”. That is, linking happiness with objects or desires will create a dynamic in which the person will have to make every effort to achieve them, losing sight of the enjoyment of the current moment as well as creating a cycle of permanent dissatisfaction.

Along with Epictetus, the philosophers Seneca and Marcus Aurelius are two of the most popular of this movement.and over time they left famous phrases that are still used today.

Famous phrases from Stoic philosophy

• “What do you think Hercules would have been if there had not been a lion, a hydra, a deer, a boar and certain unjust and bestial men, whom Hercules chased away and purified?”, Epictetus
• “Just as wood is the material of the carpenter and bronze that of the sculptor, so the life of every man is the material of the art of living.” Epictetus
• “Often we have more fear than pain; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality”, Seneca
• “If it is not convenient, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. Be master of your inclinations”, Marcus Aurelius
• “Man is not so much concerned with real problems as with his imaginary anxieties about real problems,” Epictetus
• “There is only one way to achieve happiness: to stop worrying about things beyond our power or will,” Epictetus
• “No one has the power to have everything he wants, but it is in his power not to want what he doesn’t have and to make use of what he has.” Seneca
• “It doesn’t take much to have a happy life; it’s all within you, in your way of thinking” Marcus Aurelius