Top Stoic Quotes to Follow in Life

This article is a bit more personal than the other ones and that’s what makes it so powerful. One of the things I love to do is reading. Reading applicable knowledge, of course.

My favourite reading format quotes. I like quotes so much because they consist of powerful knowledge which gets condensed into a few simple words. What I’m going to do in this article, is grab some great stoic quotes and comment a few words on them. I will translate them in a sense. I shall show you how they can be applied to our modern lives.

Let’s get started.

Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be.

Be one.

• Marcus Aurelius.

This one brings into my mind the catchy American phrase “Analysis Paralysis”. It is not actually beneficial trying too much to understand life. Too much philosophy will not get you anywhere.

Most of the time, it’s best to just do. Act. Be the good man you can be for your family, friends and the world.

How long are you going to wait before you

Demand the best of yourself?

• Epictetus

Being happy with yourself is a good thing. But being demanding with yourself is great. Demanding from yourself to reach the next level does not mean that you have to be unhappy with yourself.

We as human beings have the drive and the desire to expand. But as soon as we reach a point where our lives are financially secure- a point where we have achieved the life that society has taught us to live- we stop. We stop stretching and we get comfortable. I’m not saying that it is a bad way of life, it’s just that nobody can reach their full potential unless they constantly reach for the next level.

You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you

Do and say and think.

• Marcus Aurelius

One of the favourite ideas of stoic philosophy is thinking about death in an empowering way. There will come a day when we’ll leave this world. Let that be your guide into doing the things you love. Into thinking about what’s beautiful instead of what’s stressful. Into appreciating what’s already yours.

Don’t explain your philosophy.

Embody it.

• Epictetus.

This one should be number one in our playbook. It simply means we should do it instead of talk. But most importantly, this quote advises us to act on our beliefs. We all have beliefs and rules. We often believe that a good person helps others. We talk with our friends about it and we get hyped.

When was the last time we did something for someone who was not able to repay us? I’m telling you, we talk too much but we don’t embody our own rules. In a weird way, everybody knows how money is made and they tell you about it but at the same time, they are financially broke.

Everybody knows how a workout should look like and they tell you about it but they are far away from eating right.

Do not be a teacher. Be a doer. Embody your philosophy.

If it is not right, do not do it.

If it is not true, do not say it.

Also See: 5 Principal of Stoicism That Will Change the Way You Think About Life, Death, and Time

• Epictetus

These words revolve around virtue and novelty. Traits that are being absent these days.

It’s so difficult to apply novelty. Part of it is because it’s labelled in a negative way.

So, a person who is very polite may be misunderstood. He may be called a fool or a romantic.

And a person who is sincere and honest may be called impolite just because he tells the truth. In fact, everybody says that they want to hear the truth and they can handle the truth. But the truth is far from it.

An honest person will often be accused of being impolite just because they’re telling the truth. Work on yourself until you get to a point where you feel comfortable being honest as well as being able to accept honesty.

Write off your hopes, and if your well-being matters to you,

Be your own saviour while you can.

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