Feeling
Frustration
Stoic passages for frustration, each with a modern reading you can use today.
- Chrysippus A happy, well-ordered life comes from bringing one's own guiding spirit into harmony with the will that governs the…
- Diogenes Laertius When a young man spoke foolishly, Zeno told him: ‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we may listen twice as much…
- Epictetus A fine and good person neither quarrels nor, as far as possible, permits quarrelling. Education teaches what belongs…
- Epictetus A good person's material for work is their governing reason, as a physician works on bodies and a farmer on land.
- Epictetus A philosopher brings the will into accord with events, so that nothing arrives wholly against it and no wish is…
- Epictetus A public platform and a cell are both places, one elevated and one lowly; yet in either your power of choice can…
- Epictetus As a mark is not set up for the sake of missing the aim, so neither does the nature of evil exist in the world.
- Epictetus Be assured that the essential property of piety towards the gods is to form right opinions concerning them, as…
- Epictetus Begin therefore from little things. Is a little oil spilt? A little wine stolen? Say to yourself, "This is the price…
- Epictetus Difficulties reveal character. When a trial meets you, think of it as a younger training partner sent by a coach.…
- Epictetus Do not demand events follow your preference; prefer events as they occur, and life will go more smoothly.
- Epictetus Don't demand that things happen as you wish, but wish that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.
- Epictetus Don't say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don't say that…
- Epictetus Eat, drink, dress, marry, raise children, take part in civic life, and bear difficult relatives and neighbors. Show by…
- Epictetus Every matter has two handles: one by which it can be carried, another by which it cannot. When a brother wrongs you,…
- Epictetus Everything has two handles, the one by which it may be carried, the other by which it cannot. If your brother acts…
- Epictetus Good and bad lie in our deliberate choices. Things outside choice are neither good nor bad in themselves.
- Epictetus Good lies in a certain use of rational choice, and evil in another. Externals are merely material for that choice,…
- Epictetus Guard the good that is yours in every action. With all else, use what comes as reason allows; otherwise you will be…
- Epictetus Habit has great force. Since we are accustomed to chasing and avoiding what lies beyond our choice, we must build the…
- Epictetus I teach and you learn in my school. I seek to make you whole: unimpeded, free of compulsion, unashamed, flourishing,…
- Epictetus If you are defeated and say you will overcome, yet continue exactly as before, you will grow so weak that eventually…
- Epictetus If you call what is servile free, or claim as yours what belongs to another, you will be frustrated and accusing.…
- Epictetus If you do not want to be quick-tempered, stop feeding the practice. Begin by staying calm and counting the days; as…
- Epictetus It is not only longing for money or rank that makes us dependent. Longing for quiet, leisure, travel, or learning can…
- Epictetus It is not the person who insults or strikes that injures you, but your judgment that you have been injured. When anger…
- Epictetus It is sold for praise; it is sold for attendance. Give him then the value, if it is for your advantage. But if you…
- Epictetus Keep two rules ready: nothing is good or bad except our reasoned choice, and we should follow events rather than try…
- Epictetus Life resembles a campaign: one person keeps watch, another scouts, another stands in the front line. Each life is a…
- Epictetus Life's foremost work is this: distinguish matters clearly, so I can tell myself which are external and beyond my…
- Epictetus Nothing outside my chosen judgment can obstruct or injure it; only it can damage itself. When we fail, blame no one…
- Epictetus Remember, that not he who gives ill language or a blow insults, but the principle which represents these things as…
- Epictetus Remember that you are an actor in a drama, of such a kind as the author pleases to make it. If short, of a short one;…
- Epictetus Remember that you are an actor in a drama, assigned a role by another. Your task is to play it well, whether it is…
- Epictetus Show me someone cheerful in illness, danger, death, exile, or disgrace. If not a complete Stoic, then show me one who…
- Epictetus Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a…
- Epictetus Stop accusing gods and people. Govern your desires, avoid only what your judgment can govern, and release anger,…
- Epictetus The condition and characteristic of a vulgar person, is, that he never expects either benefit or hurt from himself,…
- Epictetus The gods left us the ruling power: the ability to use appearances well, which governs all else. They gave no more, not…
- Epictetus The soul is like water and impressions like light upon it. When water is stirred, the light seems to move, though it…
- Epictetus The true athlete trains against misleading impressions. Stand firm under pressure; do not let appearances carry you…
- Epictetus The will of nature may be learned from those things in which we don't distinguish from each other. For example, when…
- Epictetus There are three fields in which the person seeking wisdom and goodness must train. First are desire and aversion, so…
- Epictetus Two things must be removed: proud certainty, which thinks nothing more is needed, and despair, which thinks happiness…
- Epictetus Upon all occasions we ought to have these maxims ready at hand: "Conduct me, Jove, and you, 0 Destiny, Wherever your…
- Epictetus What aid is there against a habit? Practice its opposite.
- Epictetus When any person harms you, or speaks badly of you, remember that he acts or speaks from a supposition of its being his…
- Epictetus When pleasure presents itself, do not be swept away. Delay your response. Consider both the enjoyment now and the…
- Epictetus When you are going about any action, remind yourself what nature the action is. If you are going to bathe, picture to…
- Epictetus Whenever you accuse providence, reconsider the matter and you may find that what occurred accords with reason.
- Epictetus Who is unconquerable? The person whom nothing outside a considered choice can throw into disorder.
- Epictetus Why call on heaven to remove your trouble? Were you not given hands? Wipe your own nose rather than hunting for…
- Epictetus With every accident, ask yourself what abilities you have for making a proper use of it. If you see an attractive…
- Epictetus You must conform to rules, submit to a diet, refrain from dainties; exercise your body, whether you choose it or not,…
- Marcus Aurelius A black or malign disposition, an effeminate disposition; an hard inexorable disposition, a wild inhuman disposition,…
- Marcus Aurelius A very ridiculous thing it is, that any man should dispense with vice and wickedness in himself, which is in his power…
- Marcus Aurelius Accept then, and be pleased with whatsoever doth happen, though otherwise harsh and un-pleasing, as tending to that…
- Marcus Aurelius After one consideration, man is nearest unto us; as we are bound to do them good, and to bear with them. But as he may…
- Marcus Aurelius After thou shalt rightly have considered these things with thyself; fancy not anything else in the world any more to…
- Marcus Aurelius All men are made one for another: either then teach them better, or bear with them.
- Marcus Aurelius All, petty things; all things that are soon altered, soon perished. And all things come from one beginning; either all…
- Marcus Aurelius As a physician's prescription aims at healing, so nature may prescribe illness, disability, or hardship for the work…
- Marcus Aurelius As a pig that cries and flings when his throat is cut, fancy to thyself every one to be, that grieves for any worldly…
- Marcus Aurelius As for the use of thy dogmata, thou must carry thyself in the practice of them, rather like unto a pancratiastes, or…
- Marcus Aurelius As long as the foot doth that which belongeth unto it to do, and the hand that which belongs unto it, their labour,…
- Marcus Aurelius As one who had lived, and were now to die by right, whatsoever is yet remaining, bestow that wholly as a gracious…
- Marcus Aurelius As the ordinary shows of the theatre and of other such places, when thou art presented with them, affect thee; as the…
- Marcus Aurelius As they that long after figs in winter when they cannot be had; so are they that long after children, before they be…
- Marcus Aurelius As thou dost purpose to live, when thou hast retired thyself to some such place, where neither roarer nor harlot is:…
- Marcus Aurelius As thou thyself, whoever thou art, were made for the perfection and consummation, being a member of it, of a common…
- Marcus Aurelius At every moment keep your mind firmly on the work before you, as a human being, doing it with plain dignity, care,…
- Marcus Aurelius At the conceit and apprehension that such and such a one hath sinned, thus reason with thyself; What do I know whether…
- Marcus Aurelius Attend carefully to what is said and to what follows from each deed; in action seek its aim, and in speech its meaning.
- Marcus Aurelius Be it all one unto thee, whether half frozen or well warm; whether only slumbering, or after a full sleep; whether…
- Marcus Aurelius Be it so: yet there be many other good things, for the want of which thou canst not plead the want or natural ability.…
- Marcus Aurelius Be not angry neither with him whose breath, neither with him whose arm holes, are offensive. What can he do? such is…
- Marcus Aurelius Begin yet higher, even from this: if atoms be not the beginning of all things, than which to believe nothing can be…
- Marcus Aurelius Build your life deed by deed, satisfied when each reaches its proper end. If an outward obstacle appears, it cannot…
- Marcus Aurelius But this thou mayest be sure of, that this (if it be so indeed) would never have been so ordered by the Gods, had it…
- Marcus Aurelius Change contains no evil, just as remaining in a new condition contains no good.
- Marcus Aurelius Consider how many different things, whether they concern our bodies, or our souls, in a moment of time come to pass in…
- Marcus Aurelius Death is a cessation from the impression of the senses, the tyranny of the passions, the errors of the mind, and the…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not be tossed about. Bring every impulse before justice, and preserve your sound judgment whenever appearances…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not ever conceive anything impossible to man, which by thee cannot, or not without much difficulty be effected; but…
- Marcus Aurelius Do not grant circumstances the power to awaken your anger; they take no notice of it.
- Marcus Aurelius Do not grieve over it, and do not let yourself be thrown into turmoil.
- Marcus Aurelius Do nothing against thy will, nor contrary to the community, nor without due examination, nor with reluctancy. Affect…
- Marcus Aurelius Dost thou not see, how even those that profess mechanic arts, though in some respect they be no better than mere…
- Marcus Aurelius Either all things by the providence of reason happen unto every particular, as a part of one general body; and then it…
- Marcus Aurelius Either fate, (and that either an absolute necessity, and unavoidable decree; or a placable and flexible Providence) or…
- Marcus Aurelius Enough of this wretched complaining. Stop idling. What troubles you? Look at the cause or at the matter itself. As for…
- Marcus Aurelius Ever consider and think upon the world as being but one living substance, and having but one soul, and how all things…
- Marcus Aurelius Every soul lacks truth unwillingly; the same is true of justice, moderation, and goodwill. Keep this in mind, and you…
- Marcus Aurelius Examine closely the governing principles of others, especially the wise: see what they avoid and what they pursue.
- Marcus Aurelius Fit and accommodate thyself to that estate and to those occurrences, which by the destinies have been annexed unto…
- Marcus Aurelius For all these things, if once though but for a while, they begin to please, they presently prevail, and pervert a…
- Marcus Aurelius For not observing the state of another man's soul, scarce was ever any man known to be unhappy. Tell whosoever they be…
- Marcus Aurelius Forbear henceforth to complain of the trouble of a courtly life, either in public before others, or in private by…
- Marcus Aurelius Give each action attention in proportion to its value. Then you will not grow weary by spending more effort than…
- Marcus Aurelius Has another done wrong to me? That is for him to consider; he has his own character and concerns. I have what…
- Marcus Aurelius Hast thou reason? I have. Why then makest thou not use of it? For if thy reason do her part, what more canst thou…
- Marcus Aurelius He that hath not one and the self-same general end always as long as he liveth, cannot possibly be one and the…
- Marcus Aurelius He that knoweth not what the world is, knoweth not where he himself is. And he that knoweth not what the world was…
- Marcus Aurelius Herein doth consist happiness of life, for a man to know thoroughly the true nature of everything; what is the matter,…
- Marcus Aurelius Him that offends, to teach with love and meek ness, and to show him his error. But if thou canst not, then to blame…
- Marcus Aurelius How clearly doth it appear unto thee, that no other course of thy life could fit a true philosopher's practice better,…
- Marcus Aurelius How ridiculous and strange is he, that wonders at anything that happens in this life in the ordinary course of nature!
- Marcus Aurelius If a cucumber is bitter, discard it. If thorns block the way, go around them. Why ask why such irritations exist?…
- Marcus Aurelius If asked to spell your name, you would give the letters calmly, even if the questioner became angry. So remember that…
- Marcus Aurelius If he have sinned, his is the harm, not mine. But perchance he hath not.
- Marcus Aurelius If it were thine act and in thine own power, wouldest thou do it? If it were not, whom dost tin accuse? the atoms, or…
- Marcus Aurelius If someone scorns me, that is their concern. Mine is to do and say nothing shameful. If someone hates me, I will…
- Marcus Aurelius If this neither be my wicked act, nor an act anyways depending from any wickedness of mine, and that by it the public…
- Marcus Aurelius If thou beest quick-sighted, be so in matter of judgment, and best discretion, saith he.
- Marcus Aurelius If to understand and to be reasonable be common unto all men, then is that reason, for which we are termed reasonable,…
- Marcus Aurelius If we call good and bad only what depends on our own choice, we have no reason to accuse the gods or resent other…
- Marcus Aurelius In matter of writing or reading thou must needs be taught before thou can do either: much more in matter of life. 'For…
- Marcus Aurelius In the country of the Quadi at Granua, these. Betimes in the morning say to thyself, This day I shalt have to do with…
- Marcus Aurelius In the whole constitution of man, I see not any virtue contrary to justice, whereby it may be resisted and opposed.…
- Marcus Aurelius Is it not a cruel thing to forbid men to affect those things, which they conceive to agree best with their own…
- Marcus Aurelius Is it not for that respect especially, that pleasure itself is to so many men's hurt and overthrow, most prevalent,…
- Marcus Aurelius Is this then a thing of that worth, that for it my soul should suffer, and become worse than it was? as either basely…
- Marcus Aurelius It is against himself that he doth offend: why should it trouble thee? Hath anything happened unto thee? It is well,…
- Marcus Aurelius It is high time for thee, to understand that there is somewhat in thee, better and more divine than either thy…
- Marcus Aurelius It is most needful that thou shouldst always remember this. For so shalt thou be far more gentle and moderate towards…
- Marcus Aurelius It is not about ordinary petty matters, believe it, that all our strife and contention is, but whether, with the…
- Marcus Aurelius It is not by way of any suspicious indignation, but by way of gentle and friendly declination. Keep the same mind and…
- Marcus Aurelius It is not possible that any nature should be inferior unto art, since that all arts imitate nature. If this be so;…
- Marcus Aurelius it is not thine, but another man's sin. Why should it trouble thee? Let him look to it, whose sin it is.
- Marcus Aurelius It is shameful when the spirit gives up before the body does.
- Marcus Aurelius It is that which many time and often thou hast already seen and known in the world. And so oft as anything doth happen…
- Marcus Aurelius 'It will but little avail thee, to turn thine anger and indignation upon the things themselves that have fallen across…
- Marcus Aurelius Learn the art of assent, and keep impulses reserved, directed toward the common good, and measured by true value.
- Marcus Aurelius Let him look to that. He is master of his own disposition, and of his own operation. I for my part am in the meantime…
- Marcus Aurelius Let not that chief commanding part of thy soul be ever subject to any variation through any corporal either pain or…
- Marcus Aurelius Let this suffice. Add not presently speaking unto thyself, What serve these things for in the world? For, this, one…
- Marcus Aurelius Make it not any longer a matter of dispute or discourse, what are the signs and proprieties of a good man, but really…
- Marcus Aurelius Most justly have these things happened unto thee: why dost not thou amend? O but thou hadst rather become good…
- Marcus Aurelius My city and country as I am Antoninus, is Rome; as a man, the whole world. Those things therefore that are expedient…
- Marcus Aurelius My reasoned choice is independent of my neighbor’s, as of their body or breath. Though made for cooperation, each…
- Marcus Aurelius Nature gives rational beings the power to turn obstacles and opposition toward their purpose; each person can make a…
- Marcus Aurelius Nature hath of that also, as well as of eating and drinking, allowed thee a certain stint. But thou guest beyond thy…
- Marcus Aurelius No operation whatsoever it he, ceasing for a while, can be truly said to suffer any evil, because it is at an end.…
- Marcus Aurelius O man! what ado doest thou keep? Do what thy nature doth now require. Resolve upon it, if thou mayest: and take no…
- Marcus Aurelius Of everything therefore thou must use thyself to say, This immediately comes from God, this by that fatal connection,…
- Marcus Aurelius Of his, that thou mayest consider whether in the estate of ignorance, or of knowledge. And then also must thou call to…
- Marcus Aurelius Of my grandfather Verus I have learned to be gentle and meek, and to refrain from all anger and passion. From the fame…
- Marcus Aurelius On waking, remind yourself that you will meet intrusive, ungrateful, vain, deceitful, jealous, and irritable people;…
- Marcus Aurelius One person helps and demands repayment; another remembers the debt; a third does good like a vine bears fruit—then…
- Marcus Aurelius Others may block an act, but not your purpose or disposition. The mind can adapt, making a barrier serve its aim: what…
- Marcus Aurelius Pursuing what cannot be achieved is folly; yet the ignoble person pursues nothing else.
- Marcus Aurelius Reason moves freely when it accepts no falsehood, aims only at the common good, desires only what it can govern, and…
- Marcus Aurelius Remember, that as it is a shame for any man to wonder that a fig tree should bear figs, so also to wonder that the…
- Marcus Aurelius Remove the belief that you have been harmed, and the harm is removed; remove the sense of injury, and injury vanishes.
- Marcus Aurelius Return quickly to your own reason, to the reason of the whole, and to your neighbor's: make your mind just, remember…
- Marcus Aurelius Revere your power of understanding: it keeps the ruling mind from admitting what conflicts with nature, reason, care…
- Marcus Aurelius Sayest thou unto that rational part, Thou art dead; corruption hath taken hold on thee? Doth it then also void…
- Marcus Aurelius Secondly, when she either is averse from any man, or led by contrary desires or affections, tending to his hurt and…
- Marcus Aurelius Shall I do it? I will; so the end of my action be to do good unto men. Doth anything by way of cross or adversity…
- Marcus Aurelius Sincere kindness cannot be overcome. What can a malicious person do when you remain kind and gently correct them, if…
- Marcus Aurelius So may every reasonable creature, what crosses and impediments soever it meets with in the course of this mortal life,…
- Marcus Aurelius Socrates said, 'What will you have? the souls of reasonable, or unreasonable creatures? Of reasonable. But what? Of…
- Marcus Aurelius Stop complaining about public burdens—even in private, even to yourself.
- Marcus Aurelius Such and such things, from such and such causes, must of necessity proceed. He that would not have such things to…
- Marcus Aurelius Take heed lest at any time thou stand so affected, though towards unnatural evil men, as ordinary men are commonly one…
- Marcus Aurelius That inward mistress part of man if it be in its own true natural temper, is towards all worldly chances and events…
- Marcus Aurelius That is best for every one, that the common nature of all doth send unto every one, and then is it best, when she doth…
- Marcus Aurelius That which is a hindrance of the appetitive and prosecutive faculty, is an evil to the sensitive nature. As of the…
- Marcus Aurelius The art of true living in this world is more like a wrestler's, than a dancer's practice. For in this they both agree,…
- Marcus Aurelius The best kind of revenge is, not to become like unto them.
- Marcus Aurelius The earth, saith the poet, doth often long after the rain. So is the glorious sky often as desirous to fall upon the…
- Marcus Aurelius The finest revenge is refusing to become like the one who wronged you.
- Marcus Aurelius The form of the Athenians' prayer did run thus: 'O rain, rain, good Jupiter, upon all the grounds and fields that…
- Marcus Aurelius The most weighty and serious, if rightly esteemed, but as puppies, biting one another: or untoward children, now…
- Marcus Aurelius The natural properties, and privileges of a reasonable soul are: That she seeth herself; that she can order, and…
- Marcus Aurelius The nature of the universe did once certainly before it was created, whatsoever it hath done since, deliberate and so…
- Marcus Aurelius The second is, that he yield not to any lusts and motions of the flesh. For it is the part and privilege of the…
- Marcus Aurelius The Second to the first original cause, God, from whom originally proceeds whatsoever doth happen in the world. The…
- Marcus Aurelius The sun seemeth to be shed abroad. And indeed it is diffused but not effused. For that diffusion of it is a τάσις or…
- Marcus Aurelius The unjust person defies the order of nature, for rational creatures were made for one another’s benefit, not their…
- Marcus Aurelius The whole space of any man's life, is but little; and as little as it is, with what troubles, with what manner of…
- Marcus Aurelius There is, who without so much as a coat; and there is, who without so much as a book, doth put philosophy in practice.…
- Marcus Aurelius These are enough: sound judgment in the present, action for the shared good in the present, and grateful acceptance in…
- Marcus Aurelius These things thou must always have in mind: What is the nature of the universe, and what is mine—in particular: This…
- Marcus Aurelius These two rules, thou must have always in a readiness. First, do nothing at all, but what reason proceeding from that…
- Marcus Aurelius They will say commonly, Meddle not with many things, if thou wilt live cheerfully. Certainly there is nothing better,…
- Marcus Aurelius Those things that are his own, and in his own power, he himself takes order, for that they be good: and as for those…
- Marcus Aurelius Thou mayest always speed, if thou wilt but make choice of the right way; if in the course both of thine opinions and…
- Marcus Aurelius To a reasonable creature, the same action is both according to nature, and according to reason.
- Marcus Aurelius To be capable of fancies and imaginations, is common to man and beast. To be violently drawn and moved by the lusts…
- Marcus Aurelius To desire things impossible is the part of a mad man. But it is a thing impossible, that wicked man should not commit…
- Marcus Aurelius To go on straight, whither right and reason directed him, and by so doing to follow God, was the only thing that he…
- Marcus Aurelius To grow together like fellow branches in matter of good correspondence and affection; but not in matter of opinions.…
- Marcus Aurelius To look about, and with the eyes to follow the course of the stars and planets as though thou wouldst run with them;…
- Marcus Aurelius To them that are sick of the jaundice, honey seems bitter; and to them that are bitten by a mad dog, the water…
- Marcus Aurelius To which end it was, that Diogenes took also the same liberty. After these, what were either the Middle, or New Comedy…
- Marcus Aurelius Unto my free-will my neighbour's free-will, whoever he be, (as his life, or his bode), is altogether indifferent. For…
- Marcus Aurelius Use thyself; as often, as thou seest any man do anything, presently (if it be possible) to say unto thyself, What is…
- Marcus Aurelius Use thyself even unto those things that thou doest at first despair of. For the left hand we see, which for the most…
- Marcus Aurelius Use thyself when any man speaks unto thee, so to hearken unto him, as that in the interim thou give not way to any…
- Marcus Aurelius What a subject, and what a course of life is it, that thou doest so much desire to be rid of. For all these things,…
- Marcus Aurelius What does my soul serve? Ask this often. Whose soul do I possess now: a child’s, a tyrant’s, a tame animal’s, or a…
- Marcus Aurelius What harms the hive cannot benefit the bee.
- Marcus Aurelius What is that that is slow, and yet quick? merry, and yet grave? He that in all things doth follow reason for his guide.
- Marcus Aurelius Whatever others say or do, I am bound to goodness—like gold or an emerald that keeps its own color regardless of what…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever any man either doth or saith, thou must be good; not for any man's sake, but for thine own nature's sake;…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever doth happen in the ordinary course and consequence of natural events, neither the Gods, (for it is not…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever in any kind doth happen to any one, is expedient to the whole. And thus much to content us might suffice,…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever is expedient unto thee, O World, is expedient unto me; nothing can either be 'unseasonable unto me, or out…
- Marcus Aurelius Whatsoever it be that happens unto thee, it is that which from all time was appointed unto thee. For by the same…
- Marcus Aurelius When a training partner strikes you roughly, do not hate or suspect them; watch carefully and avoid wisely, without…
- Marcus Aurelius When anger begins to rise, remember: fury is not strength. Kindness and courtesy are more truly human, and thus more…
- Marcus Aurelius When another wrongs you, ask at once what they thought good or bad in doing it. Seeing this, you will pity rather than…
- Marcus Aurelius When another's fault provokes you, turn at once to your own related errors—your attachment to gain, pleasure, or…
- Marcus Aurelius When at any time thou art offended with any one's impudency, put presently this question to thyself: 'What? Is it then…
- Marcus Aurelius When circumstances throw you into confusion, recover yourself quickly. Do not remain out of rhythm longer than needed;…
- Marcus Aurelius When someone errs, correct them gently and show the overlooked point; if you cannot, fault yourself—or no one.
- Marcus Aurelius When thou art hard to be stirred up and awaked out of thy sleep, admonish thyself and call to mind, that, to perform…
- Marcus Aurelius Whensoever any man doth trespass against other, presently consider with thyself what it was that he did suppose to be…
- Marcus Aurelius Wherever one is able to live, one can live well; even in the business of the courts, a good life is possible.
- Marcus Aurelius Why rage at bad breath or body odor? Such a body produces such effects. If someone can understand their impact, use…
- Marcus Aurelius Why should imprudent unlearned souls trouble that which is both learned, and prudent? And which is that that is so?…
- Marcus Aurelius Why then should that rather be an unhappiness, than this a happiness? But however, canst thou, O man! term that…
- Marcus Aurelius Will either passengers, or patients, find fault and complain, either the one if they be well carried, or the others if…
- Marcus Aurelius You can humble your pride, master pleasure and pain, set ambition aside, and meet foolish, thankless people without…
- Marcus Aurelius You receive what you choose: instead of being good today, you decide to put goodness off until tomorrow.
- Marcus Aurelius Your guiding principles cannot be put out unless you extinguish the thoughts that sustain them, for new thoughts are…
- Musonius Rufus I would rather be ill than live in luxury: illness harms the body, but luxury weakens body and soul, breeding greed,…
- Musonius Rufus In most matters we respond to circumstances not from sound principles but from miserable habit. Since this is so, the…
- Musonius Rufus Some minds are quicker and some slower; some receive better formation than others. Those with poorer habits need more…
- Musonius Rufus When asked whether virtue comes better through teaching or habit—teaching being sound principles and habit being…
- Seneca A prince generally inflicts punishment for one of two reasons: he wishes either to assert his own rights or those of…
- Seneca All life is slavery: let each man therefore reconcile himself to his lot, complain of it as little as possible, and…
- Seneca All our senses should be educated into strength: they are naturally able to endure much, provided that the spirit…
- Seneca Anger, then, must never become a habit with us, but we may sometimes affect to be angry when we wish to rouse up the…
- Seneca But come! let virtue lead the way: then every step will be safe. Too much pleasure is hurtful: but with virtue we need…
- Seneca “But the way by which we are asked to climb is steep and uneven.” What then? Can heights be reached by a level path?…
- Seneca Circumstances mislead us, so judge them carefully. We often choose evil before good and desire what contradicts our…
- Seneca Do not attempt to quell it all at once, for its first impulses are fierce; by plucking away its parts we shall remove…
- Seneca Do not commit the fault of making every one, who according to his ability admires your writings, ask how so frail a…
- Seneca Even Caesar, who may do all things, may not do many things for this very reason: his watchfulness protects all men’s…
- Seneca Give the mind rest: after a break it returns stronger and sharper. Constant labor dulls and weakens the rational soul.
- Seneca “He gave me the praetorship. Yes, but I had hoped for the consulship. He bestowed the twelve axes upon me: true, but…
- Seneca He who follows others who have started before him on the wrong road is surely excusable for having wandered on the…
- Seneca He who says that the wise man can bear this and cannot bear that, and restrains his magnanimity within certain limits,…
- Seneca Heraclitus wept at public life, while Democritus laughed at it. We should bear human affairs lightly; it is more…
- Seneca How will he endure the tumult of the world, and make head against so many most active foes, if he be conquered by so…
- Seneca “I am not a wise man, and I will not be one in order to feed your spite: so do not require me to be on a level with…
- Seneca I call you unfortunate because you have met no adversity. You have gone through life without a rival, so neither you…
- Seneca I do not praise those who rush into life's torrent and wrestle daily with hardship by choice. A wise person can endure…
- Seneca I know, however, that there are some who imagine that clemency only saves the life of every villain, because clemency…
- Seneca I will set sail unless anything happens to prevent me, I shall 279be praetor, if nothing hinders me, my financial…
- Seneca If man, as they argue, seeks for quiet and repose, what virtue is there which is more agreeable to his nature than…
- Seneca If you were to bring to me all the money from all our mines, which we are at this moment sinking, if you were to bring…
- Seneca In the same spirit in which we deal with boys, the wise man deals with all those whose childhood still endures after…
- Seneca In this very same instance I will give you an example of a good prince, which you may compare with a good father.
- Seneca It is a speech which ought to be spoken 416before a meeting of all mankind, whose words all kings and princes ought to…
- Seneca It is a womanish thing to rage with passion; it is the part of wild beasts, and that, too, not of the most noble ones,…
- Seneca It is above all things necessary to form a true estimate of oneself, because as a rule we think that we can do more…
- Seneca It is like a wild animal whose struggles only pull the noose by which it is caught tighter; or like birds who, while…
- Seneca It is like Homer’s Achilles, 258lying first upon its face, then upon its back, placing itself in various attitudes,…
- Seneca It is possible to discover certain inconsistencies in the definition which comes nearer the truth than all the rest,…
- Seneca It is said that there was one Mindyrides, a citizen of Sybaris, who one day seeing a man digging and vigorously…
- Seneca It is that of good parents, who sometimes scold their children goodnaturedly, sometimes threaten them, and sometimes…
- Seneca It often condemns a man because it dislikes his patron; it loves and maintains error even when truth is staring it in…
- Seneca Let a man, then, obtain as many books as he wants, but none for show. “It is more respectable,” say you, “to spend…
- Seneca Let every one, then, say to himself, whenever he is provoked, “Am I more powerful than Philip? yet he allowed a man to…
- Seneca Let Fate meet us ready and at work. Greatness belongs to the soul that yields to the world's order; weakness complains…
- Seneca Let him rise in the presence of his elders. Let him obtain nothing by flying into a passion: let him be given when he…
- Seneca Let no one take even one day from me unless the exchange is worth the cost.
- Seneca Let us decide by exact definition this other slippery matter, the true nature of pardon, and we shall then perceive…
- Seneca Let us now enquire whether anger be in accordance with nature, and whether it be useful and worth entertaining in some…
- Seneca Let virtue lead the way and bear the standard: we shall have pleasure for all that, but we shall be her masters and…
- Seneca Life's many hardships teach the lesson of silence.
- Seneca May it not be that, although anger be not natural, it may be right to adopt it, because it often proves useful? It…
- Seneca Men set the greatest store upon presents or pensions, and hire out their work, their services, or their care in order…
- Seneca No creature is more self-willed, requires more careful management, or ought to be treated with greater indulgence than…
- Seneca Nothing is more maddening than anger or more eager to display its force. When it succeeds it grows proud; when blocked…
- Seneca Nothing will happen that I cannot receive without bitterness. The burdens that provoke complaint are part of life's due.
- Seneca Of all these propositions that which I have stated first appears the most difficult to prove. I mean, that the things…
- Seneca Of course it does, since Epicurus himself says that at times he would abandon pleasure and actually seek for pain, if…
- Seneca See, on the other hand, how 210evil and guilty a slavery the man is forced to serve who is dominated in turn by…
- Seneca Some crimes are of such a nature and bound by such conditions that the first part can take place without the second.…
- Seneca Some gifted minds grasp virtue quickly or generate it themselves. Others, dulled by poor habits, need persistent…
- Seneca Some people, through too little effort rather than inconsistency, are so unsettled that they do not live as they wish;…
- Seneca Some qualities cannot be separated from some others: they cling together; are indivisible. Dull minds, tending to…
- Seneca Some stories may be so construed as to appear to be insults: wherefore it is best to put some aside, to laugh at…
- Seneca Some traces of these qualities exist even in them, though properly all of them, whether good or bad, belong to the…
- Seneca Suppose that we are being punished; let us think not only of what we suffer, but of what we have done: let us sit in…
- Seneca Teach me to resemble Odysseus: to love home, spouse, and father, and after shipwreck still steer toward honorable ends.
- Seneca That we may avoid it, certain general rules of conduct which apply to all men’s lives must be impressed upon us. We…
- Seneca The better a man is, the more frequently he is wont to suffer from your indiscriminate rage, you who are to be feared…
- Seneca The first of these I shall only touch upon lightly, for I know that your heart loves nothing belonging to your…
- Seneca The former will say to you, “In my talk I express the most admirable sentiments, yet I am still weltering amid…
- Seneca The inventor of wine is called Liber, not from the licence which he gives to our tongues, but because he liberates the…
- Seneca The latter of these, whenever be 282appeared in public, used to weep, the former to laugh: the one thought all human…
- Seneca The man did it because he was ordered to do it. Who but an unjust person can be angry with what is done under…
- Seneca The mind can carry out whatever orders it gives itself: some have succeeded in never smiling: some have forbidden…
- Seneca The next step is to see whether an alteration in their amount will be of service. If neither alteration of the order…
- Seneca The sinner ought, therefore, to be corrected both by warning and by force, both by gentle and harsh means, and may be…
- Seneca The unlearned think that its opposite is strictness: but no virtue is the opposite of another virtue. What, then, is…
- Seneca There is no passion that is more frantic, more destructive to its own self; it is arrogant if successful, and frantic…
- Seneca There is no reason why we should seek to defend such a passion as this or excuse its excesses by declaring it to be…
- Seneca There is therefore nothing great or noble in anger, even when it seems to be powerful and to contemn both gods and men…
- Seneca These should be regarded as examples to be avoided, and what I am about to relate, on the contrary, to be followed,…
- Seneca Think, moreover, how full of risk is the great task which you have undertaken: you have to deal with the human…
- Seneca This is not anger, it is ferocity: for it does not do hurt because it has received injury: but is even willing to…
- Seneca We are angry, either with those who can, or with those who cannot do us an injury. To the latter class belong some…
- Seneca We might go on blaming fate much longer, but we cannot alter it: it stands harsh and inexorable: no one can move it by…
- Seneca Whatever remains to be done, virtue meets with courage and speed. It is foolish to undertake work grudgingly, sending…
- Seneca When I return from seeing it I am a sadder, though not a worse man, I cannot walk amid my own paltry possessions with…
- Seneca When you are especially enjoying yourself, be especially on your guard: when everything seems to you to be peaceful,…
- Seneca Why be indignant? Why protest? This is the task for which we are made.
- Seneca Why make misfortune heavier by lamenting it? It is the stronger course to meet adversity directly. The more precarious…
- Seneca Work through your troubles: difficult times can be eased, narrow passages opened, and heavy burdens lightened by…
- Seneca You are as yet only in the first stage of error, and do not go wrong seriously, although you do so often: then I will…
- Seneca You ask what difference there is between them? All that there is between two very brave gladiators, one of whom…
- Seneca You ask, what this post is? it is that of being a man. The wise man has another help, of the opposite kind to this;…
- Seneca You cannot stray away from your position; it besets you, and follows you with mighty pomp wherever you go. This…
- Seneca You have asked me, Lucilius, why, if the world be ruled by providence, so many evils befall good men?
- Seneca You have entered the arena of the Olympic games, but no one 11else has done so: you have the crown, but not the…
- Seneca You have seen your friend in a rage with the porter of some lawyer or rich man, because he has sent him back when…
- Seneca You may be sure that one who showed such boldness as a child would end by becoming a great pest both in public and in…
- Seneca “You purposely misunderstand what I say,” says he, “for I too say that no one can live pleasantly unless he lives…
- Seneca You say, 'I am in terrible pain.' Does bearing it badly lessen the pain at all?
- Seneca You should know that good men ought to act in like manner, so as not to fear troubles and difficulties, nor to lament…
- Seneca You waste your pains: you want to do what is certain to be done. You say, “I do not wish necessarily to kill him, but…
- Seneca You will see that men are subject to the same influences as dumb animals: we are put out by trumpery, futile matters.…
- Zeno Better to stumble on your feet than to stumble with your speech.
- Zeno Well-being is achieved through small advances, though it is itself no small achievement.