Quote collection
467 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"No living being is held by anything so strongly as by its own needs. Whatever therefore appears a hindrance to these, be it brother, or father, or child, or mistress, or friend, is hated, abhorred, execrated."
"When the Idea, of any Pleasure strikes your Imagination... let that time be employed in making a just Computation between, the duration of the Pleasure, and that of the Repentance sure to follow it."
"To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness."
"Seek to be the purple thread in the long white gown."
"We tell lies, yet it is easy to show that lying is immoral."
"It is the sign of a dull mind to dwell upon the cares of the body, to prolong exercise, eating and drinking and other bodily functions. These things are best done by the way; all your attention must be given to the mind."
"It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become."
"Freedom isn't the right or ability to do whatever you please. Freedom comes from understanding the limits of our own power and the inherent limits set in place by nature. By accepting life's limits and inevitabilities and working with them rather than fighting them, you become truly free."
"What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are."
"To pay homage to beauty is to admire Nature; to admire Nature is to worship God"
"On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use."
"If you desire to be good, begin by believing that you are wicked."
"The origin of sorrow is this: to wish for something that does not come to pass."
"It is not my place in society that makes me well off, but my judgements, and these I can carry with me... These alone are my own and cannot be taken away."
"Bear in mind that you should conduct yourself in life as at a feast."
"Difficulties are things that show a person what they are."
"What is learned without pleasure is forgotten without remorse."
"Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions. Vigilantly practice polite indifference to that which we can't control. Your happiness can only be found within."
"There is but one way to tranquility of mind and happiness, and that is to account no external things thine own, but to commit all to God."
"I must die. I must be imprisoned. I must suffer exile. But must I die groaning? Must I whine as well? Can anyone hinder me from going into exile with a smile? The master threatens to chain me: what say you? Chain me? My leg you will chain--yes, but not my will--no, not even Zeus can conquer that."