Stoicism Quotes

“If you take only one thing away from this book, let it be the knowledge that you cannot control what happens around you, but you have full mastery of your response, and that response should be born out of courage, temperance, justice and wisdom. When you accept your lack of control, but know that your virtuous actions contribute to building a better world,”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Appreciate that the cosmos is infinite and you are infinitesimal. When you are ready, take one last deep breath, inhaling the essence of the cosmos, then tell yourself it is time to return to your body. You find yourself immediately back in your body, sitting where you started. Take a moment to focus on your breath, inhaling and exhaling as you ground yourself fully into yourself. When you are ready, open your eyes and see the world around you anew.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Look carefully at the area. Notice all the little details. Think about the people in any buildings you can see going about their business, each of them having their own concerns and worries. Now rise higher and higher until you are at cloud level. Look down beneath you. See the land stretching out as far as you can see. Notice the curve of the horizon off in the distance. Feel yourself at peace, knowing you are safe so high in the sky. The world below you seems so small and insignificant, but your journey is not yet done. You feel yourself going higher again, up, up and out of the atmosphere and into space. You are perfectly safe as you float out towards the moon. Looking back at the earth, it looks like a small ball below you. From this distance, all you can see are the clouds swirling around, the green of the land, the blue of the ocean. Billions of souls are going about their lives but from this distance, they may as well be dust. You feel yourself travelling farther and farther away from the earth until you find yourself deep in the heart of the cosmos. All around you are stars, twinkling in a stunning display of natural beauty. Take a moment to breathe in the wonder around you. Appreciate that everything is as it should be, your life unfolding exactly how it needs to. See the countless stars and know that there are countless more out of sight.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Meditation to give you Plato’s view Sit comfortably and just take a moment to focus on your breath. Notice as you inhale and exhale… inhale and exhale… Now as you inhale, imagine you are breathing in a beautiful, calming white light. And as you exhale, release any negativity or stress you may have been holding on to. Continue to breathe in that beautiful white light. Feel it filling your body with peaceful energy, making you feel lighter… and lighter… and lighter… And as your body continues to get lighter and lighter, feel yourself starting to float out of your body. You are completely safe as you hover above your body and look down on yourself. Passively observe yourself sitting there. Notice how you look relaxed and calm and know your body is perfectly safe as you start to float higher and higher. Now you are outside, hovering above the building your body is in. Look down upon it and see what it looks like from above. Examine the surrounding area – are there gardens? Streets? Cars? Are there people walking around?”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Someone saying something you find hurtful has just uttered a few words. It is your choice to be hurt by them. When you get offended by someone, you have made yourself their accomplice. You have chosen to go along with their narrative and allowed yourself to be hurt.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“The true misfortune lies in the erroneous belief that superficial things are important. When we fool ourselves into thinking that our money and property are the things that make us happy, we set ourselves up for a lifetime of disappointment because there’s always something better, always someone wealthier.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“When you accept that difficulties are going to come, you have a choice. Resent that and continue to be unhappy, or love the challenges they give you and the chances they provide for you to grow, adapt and evolve.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“There is indeed a limit fixed for us, just where the remorseless law of Fate has fixed it; but none of us knows how near he is to this limit. Therefore, let us so order our minds as if we had come to the very end… Let us balance life's account every day… One who daily puts the finishing touches to his life is never in want of time.” – Seneca”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent— no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Marcus Aurelius states, “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“In your actions, don’t procrastinate. In your conversations, don’t confuse. In your thoughts, don’t wander. In your soul, don’t be passive or aggressive. In your life, don’t be all about business.”
– Marcus Aurelius”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“On Providence.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Every moment of every day, we make a choice as to how we react and respond to things. It is the only real power we have.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Instead, confine yourself solely to goals that are linked to your own efforts and ability. So, instead of having a target of scoring a goal, make it linked to training as much as possible, preparing yourself physically and mentally as much as possible, and promise yourself you’ll do your very best during the match.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“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”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“The true misfortune lies in the erroneous belief that superficial things are important.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer. Put your principles into practice – now. Stop the excuses and the procrastination. This is your life! … Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Pursuing money, status and material possessions is not the Stoic way. The only thing worth chasing is virtue. Wisdom, justice, self-awareness, bravery – these are the goals you should be aiming for. After all, you could have all the money in the world and still be miserable. You could be highly educated with multiple doctorates yet be a deeply unpleasant person supporting an unjust system that favours the rich over the poor.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Essentially, amor fati is the attitude that regardless of what comes your way, every experience is to be welcomed and accepted, regardless of whether it appears to be positive or negative. When it comes to challenges, amor fati goes beyond simple acceptance. You should love whatever difficulties you face because they are what forge you into a better person. So just like fuel for a fire, those tough times are fuel for your personal growth.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Epictetus: “Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more in imagination than in reality.”
– Seneca”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“No tree becomes rooted and sturdy unless many a wind assails it… the fragile trees are those that have grown in a sunny valley.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“I judge you unfortunate because you have never lived through misfortune. You have passed through life without an opponent— no one can ever know what you are capable of, not even you.” Our challenges enable us to understand ourselves better and learn our limits, as well as our potential. Seneca discusses this in great depth in his work, On Providence. He states that it is “not what you endure, but how you endure [which] is important.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“You don’t develop courage by being happy in your relationships every day. You develop it by surviving difficult times and challenging adversity.”- Epicurus”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“While the Ancient Greeks and Romans kept slaves, the Stoics held that we should remember that we all live under the same sky and come from the same place. Everyone deserves respect, regardless of who or what they are.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Stoicism was revolutionary in being possibly the first Western philosophy to teach that slave and emperor are alike when Epictetus wrote that we are all “a member of the great city of gods and men.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Because you never know what might happen, Stoicism contains an important lesson on not relying on anything that is subject to change. Your bank balance will fluctuate. Friendships come and go. Even the healthiest of relationships can end. Throughout all this change, the only thing with the potential to remain unaffected is ourselves. Every moment of every day, we make a choice as to how we react and respond to things. It is the only real power we have.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.” – Epictetus”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“The Stoics sought freedom from being ruled by their passions by using logic and reason. They weren’t looking to eliminate their emotions so much as transcend them by developing clarity of thought and inner peace. They looked to achieve a high degree of self-control, self-awareness and self-discipline.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness

“Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”
― Jason Hemlock, Stoicism: How to Use Stoic Philosophy to Find Inner Peace and Happiness