The Little Book of Stoic Quotes Quotes

“Stoicism is focusing on things that are in your control, overcoming negative emotions, living in the present moment, helping others for the common good, and finding opportunity in every obstacle.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“What would we gain from understanding every little thing, anyway?” — Epictetus”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“We may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed.” — Viktor Frankl”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“You can have the most money and possessions in the world, but you’ll never be happy as long as you continue to want more. And even the poorest people can experience true happiness, if they decide that what they do have is enough.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Socrates realized that the definition of happiness is really quite simple: it’s just the lack of desire for more.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Remember: fury is the weak person’s idea of strength, and saber-rattling is the simpleton’s idea of strategy. Focused calmness wins battles.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Lead me, Destiny, to whatever I was long ago assigned. I’ll gladly follow; for if I hesitate, I’ll have to go anyway. Life guides the willing, but drags the unwilling.” — Cleanthes of Asos”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“By embracing the present, you engage with the only time you can actually influence.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“We don’t have to go to work every day, we get to go to work every day. We don’t have to adapt to uncomfortable changes, we get to adapt to uncomfortable changes. This is what human beings were made to do. We’ve earned our resilience and our strength over thousands of generations.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Average people think that anything helpful or harmful comes from others. Extraordinary people know that help and harm are only found within ourselves.” — Epictetus”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Concentrating on the present moment frees you from the guilt of past mistakes and the anxiety of an unknown future.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Viktor Frankl, who faced extraordinary suffering during his years in a Nazi concentration camp, provides some inspiring advice about utilizing our ability to define challenges: “We must never forget that we may also find meaning in life even when confronted with a hopeless situation, when facing a fate that cannot be changed. For what then matters is to bear witness to the uniquely human potential at its best, which is to transform a personal tragedy into a triumph, to turn one’s predicament into a human achievement. When we are no longer able to change a situation — just think of an incurable disease such as inoperable cancer — we are challenged to change ourselves.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“He decided that losing everything would be an opportunity, not a tragedy.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“He eventually realized that the greatest power we have as human beings is our ability to choose how we respond to stuff that we can’t change.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“You can choose to be unconquered.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Your mind is the product of thousands of generations of people before you who adapted to tough situations, who stayed resilient in the face of challenges, who persisted in spite of pain and loss and struggles you can’t even imagine.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“What man actually needs is not a tensionless state but rather the striving and struggling for a worthwhile goal, a freely chosen task.” — Viktor Frankl”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Of course, hope isn’t always a bad thing to have. But don’t let thoughts of what could be — whether pleasant or petrifying — distract you from what is.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“Birds weren’t given wings just to walk everywhere . . . and you weren’t born with resilience and a beautiful mind just to have an easy life.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life

“The world is asking us the questions, and it couldn’t care less what we expect from it. But here’s the good news: real meaning doesn’t come from what the world gives you, but how you respond to it.”
― Phil Van Treuren, The Little Book of Stoic Quotes: Philosophy for a Meaningful and Courageous Life