Stoicism Sayings and Quotes

Below you will find our collection of inspirational, wise, and humorous old stoicism quotes, stoicism sayings, and stoicism proverbs, collected over the years from a variety of sources.

As each day arises, welcome it as the very best day of all, and make it your own possession. We must seize what flees. Seneca
They lose the day in expectation of the night, and the night in fear of the dawn. Seneca
Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend winning is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won't make us happier. Randy Pausch
Confronting the worst-case scenario saps it of much of its anxiety-inducing power. Happiness reached via positive thinking can be fleeting and brittle, negative visualization generates a vastly more dependable calm. Oliver Burkeman
Being a Stoic does not mean being a robot. Being a Stoic means remaining calm both at the height of pleasure and the depths of misery. Abhijit Naskar
Everything worthwhile in your life draws its meaning from the fact you will die. Derren Brown
I must fling myself down and writhe; I must strive with every piece of force I possess; I bruise and batter myself against the floor, the walls; I strain and sob and exhaust myself, and begin again, and exhaust myself again; but do I feel pain? Never. How can I feel pain? There is not place for it. Harry Houdini
Indeed this gentleman's Stoicism was of that not uncommon kind, which enables a man to bear with exemplary fortitude the afflictions of his friends, but renders him, by way of counterpoise, rather selfish and sensitive in respect of any that happen to befall himself. Charles Dickens
Truth is going with the flow of destiny, lies are an attempt to cover it up and fight against it. Rebecca Hartman
Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things. Epictetus
You are scared of dying-and, tell me, is the kind of life you lead really any different than being dead? Seneca
Have patience. Stoicism is what's called for. Works wonders. Andrew Wyke
Riches I hold in light esteem, / And Love I laugh to scorn; / And lust of fame was but a dream, / That vanished with the morn: / And if I pray, the only prayer / That moves my lips for me / Is, "Leave the heart that now I bear, / And give me liberty!" / Yes, as my swift days near their goal: / 'Tis all that I implore; / In life and death a chainless soul, / With courage to endure. Emily Brontë