Tao Te Ching

The Power of Goodness, the Wisdom Beyond Words
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Stoic (Στωικότητα) Lineage

Stoicism
Founded by Zeno, popularized by Emperor Marcus Aurelius, one of the most significant influences on Western philosophy and brought into the modern world by names like the economist Hobbes, and the philosopher Descartes; Stoicism is a kind of reformation of Epicureanism that had corrupted from the pursuit of happiness to the pursuit of pleasure. It evolved the willingness to doubt begun by the pre-Socratic philosophers and championed by Socrates himself and emphasized virtue and goodness as essential to true happiness and peace of mind. It defined vice as the rejection of reason making happiness impossible and - crediting Socrates -defined the universe as god and acting on hope and fear, seeking pleasure or avoiding pain as the negative impulses causing suffering. Flourishing from the 3rd century BCE through the 6th century CE, it was the major philosophy of the Roman Empire until its conversion to Christianity when Emperor Justinian I closed all the “pagan philosophy” schools in AD 529 because he correctly saw them as at odds with Christian belief. Evolving themes articulated by Heraclitus, it stressed living in harmony with nature, action based on experience rather than concept, and a value system of happiness not based on seeking fame, fortune, pleasure, and power.

The famous-in-the-East Taoist Farmer story exemplifies the basic Stoic attitude toward life and for 400 years, Stoicism became the religion of the Roman upper classes. It at first brought to people a powerful inner strength that rippled out into politics and society bringing Rome's Golden Age. However, in a way similar to how the Epicurean ethic deteriorated into its opposite, Stoicism's strength became a weakness and the people soft and indulgent.

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People (13)

Heraclitus Ἡράκλειτος (of Ephesus, the "Weeping Philosopher")
535 – 475 BCE
A Greek Buddha

(21 quotes)

Lonely, self-taught wisdom pioneer who like the Buddha abdicated his inherited kingship; Heraclitus also like the Buddha stressed the ever-present quality of impermanence and change, the importance of humans waking up from unconsciousness, and the unity of opposites. Devoted to the principle of inscrutability, he was known as "the Obscure" and wrote only for the wise and not “the rabble.” Born just 28 years after the Buddha, he emphasized the central Buddhist doctrine of impermanence and is famous for his quote, "No man ever steps in the same river twice.” Also contemporary with Lao Tzu, he mirrored the teaching of yin and yang regarding the soul as being a mixture of fire and water, light and dark.

Hipparchia ππαρχία (of Maroneia)
350 – 280 BCE


Cynic philosopher and the only women on Diogenes Laërtius' list of eminent philosophers, Hipparchia influenced Zeno's views on love and sex, on the founding of Stoicism. She fell in love with her teacher, the most famous Cynic of the time, Crates; and going against her parents, married him to live a street-life of poverty. Going far beyond what was considered acceptable for women, she wore men’s clothes and living on equal terms with her husband became a symbol for rejecting conventional values and thinking for yourself. Rejecting the conventional roles for women in favor of philosophy, she left her rich family, became a beggar, consummated her relationship with Crates in public, and with him epitomized unwavering fidelity and deep affection.

Zeno Ζήνων ὁ Κιτιεύς (of Citium)
334 – 262 BCE

(13 quotes)

Self-made wealthy merchant, shipwrecked and impoverished Phoenician, founder of Stoicism - a kind of reformation of Epicureanism that had corrupted from the pursuit of happiness to the pursuit of pleasure; Zeno emphasized virtue and goodness as essential to true happiness and peace of mind. An internationalist wanting to break down all national and racial barriers with no nations, classes, rich or poor, he defined vice as the rejection of reason making happiness impossible. Crediting Socrates, he defined the universe as god and acting on hope and fear, seeking pleasure or avoiding pain as the negative impulses causing suffering. His Stoic philosophy remained dominant for c. 800 years, influenced Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius. A major crater on the moon is named after him.

Callimachus Καλλίμαχος
310 – 240 BCE

(3 quotes)

Apostle of creativity and individuality, Callimachus suggested we "abhor all common things.” Descended from the first Greek Royal family that reigned in Africa, he was one of the first critic-poets and led the trend of rejecting the Homeric epic style in favor of epigrams and short poems. A major influence on Ovid and Latin poetry in general, he invented for libraries what may have been the first bibliographical survey that listed, categorized, and identified where literary works could be found. Teacher to Eratosthenes, he wrote one of the earliest love stories in all literature with a theme since retold by millions of poets and novelists.

Eratosthenes ρατοσθένης (of Cyrene)
276 – 195 BCE


Chief librarian of Alexandria, student of the best teachers of his age: the Stoic founder Zeno, the first serious academic Stoic Arcesilaus, the famous poet Calimachus, and grammarian Lysanias; Eratosthenes invented geography (his terms still used today), made the first Western map of the world including parallels and meridians, calculated the circumference of the Earth and the tilt of its axis for the first time, invented leap day, accurately measured the distance from the Sun to the Earth, and founded “scientific chronology.” The first geographer to mention the Chinese, he criticized the Greek chauvinism of describing foreigners as barbarians and recommended judging people as individuals instead of as members of religious, cultural, or national groups.

Seneca ˈsɛnɪkə (Lucius Annaeus)
4 BCE – 65 CE

(34 quotes)

Stoic philosopher, polititian, author, and first great Western thinker to describe the importance of relationship gratitude; Seneca taught and advised emperor Nero and for his efforts was forced to commit suicide. Humanist saint still popular and influential today, he influenced Dante, Chaucer, Petrarch, Erasmus, John Calvin, Shakespeare, Montaigne who was considered a "French Seneca,” and Joseph Hall considered “an English Seneca." Slandered by contemporaries, historians, and modern novelists as a sycophant to Nero and hypocrite, he did compromise to political expediency but also balanced faith and freedom promoting a simple and accepting lifestyle beyond anger, just politics, and global citizenship.

Pliny (Pliny Gaius Plinius Secundus, Pliny the Elder)
23 – 79 CE
Founding father of the encyclopedia

(16 quotes)

Roman natural philosopher, influential and prolific author, military commander, and a friend of emperor Vespasian; Pliny wrote probably the first and definitely the most influential encyclopedia, Naturalis Historia (Natural History). His only surviving manuscript, this comprehensive 37-book masterwork based on Stoic and pantheistic philosophy gives a unique window into Ancient Rome. Pliny died suddenly in 79 CE possibly while trying to rescue a friend and their family during the Mount Vesuvian volcanic eruptions.

Epictetus Ἐπίκτητος
55 – 135 CE

(59 quotes)

Born a slave, Epictetus found freedom and—until he was banished in 93 CE—taught philosophy in Rome as a way of life. He taught that the foundation of all philosophy is self-knowledge, that we all have basic goodness, and that we are not separate but interconnected and one with each other and all of the world. His influence extends from Marcus Aurelius to medal-of-honor winning US vice-presidential candidate James Stockdale and includes artists like James Joyce, Tom Wolfe, David Mamet and J.D. Salinger.

Antoninus Pius (Antonines)
86 – 161 CE
One of history's most enlightened, major political leaders


One of the best political leaders of all time, Antoninus began his reign by giving the country an immense amount of his personal fortune. Religious but free of superstition, he encouraged the tolerance of Jews, Christians, freed slaves, and other non-Roman religions. He brought Rome to its apex of prosperity and peace giving the Empire its most equitable period of all time. He liberalized the law, initiated the rights of defendants in trials still used today, told judges to treat defendants as innocent until proven guilty, enforced more equality between men and women, and never made decisions without working on consensus with the Senate. With virtually no enemies and hundreds of friends, he was immune to flattery and was so modest that it was impossible to tell he was emperor by just observing his behavior.

Marcus Aurelius
121 – 219 CE

(35 quotes)
One of the most important Stoic philosophers and last of the "Five Good Emperors,” during a time Gibbon described as, a period when "the Roman Empire was governed… under the guidance of wisdom and virtue.” He was known as a philosopher king and by many as the only Roman emperor who not only spoke and knew wisdom but also lived it. His book, Meditations describes setting up a just government of service and duty and was a favorite of leaders and philosophers from Frederick the Great to John Stuart Mill, from Goethe to Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao, and US president Bill Clinton.

Thomas Hobbes
1588 – 1679 CE

(16 quotes)

Secretary, student, friend to Francis Bacon; Hobbes established the foundation for most modern political philosophy. Formulating social contract theory, he promoted individual rights, natural equality, government based on the will of the people, only representative government as legitimate, and the freedom to do anything that laws don’t forbid. He described human nature as “self-interested cooperation” and introduced mathematical reasoning to the philosophy of science. Though called “the father of totalitarianism” and fixated on peace and order, his radical shift from religion and belief to applying science for understanding human nature helped undermine that same “order” creating more personal, political freedom.

René Descartes
1596 – 1650 CE

(12 quotes)

Though remaining a Catholic, solidifying the dualistic view in Western thought as well as “Cogito ergo sum” belief in a separate self; Descartes emphasized methodic doubt and the impossibility of externally based intellectual certainty undermining faith in belief and Church doctrine. This sparked a thought revolution that created the modern era. He developed analytic geometry (using x, y, and z for unknowns) and using superscripts for powers or exponents, discovered the law of reflection, and the basis for the development of calculus. Known as the “father of modern philosophy,” he changed the course of Western philosophy and his influence continues to this day.

Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet
1694 – 1778 CE

(98 quotes)

Nemesis to tyrants and fanatics of all styles, powerful fighter for civil rights, separation of church and state, freedom of speech and religion; Voltaire drank up to 72 cups of coffee a day and wrote more than 2,000 books and pamphlets. Admiring Confucian ethics and political theory, his writings inspired the founders of America, the best thinkers of his time, numerous kings, queens and world leaders, millions of people in every generation since. To a large extent we owe to his influence much of the freedoms in the world today; the humane treatment of the insane, sick, and criminal; the number of libraries, schools, and universities for common people. Historian Will Durant wrote, “When we cease to honor Voltaire, we shall be unworthy of freedom.”

Related Sources (4 sources)

Discourses of Epictetus, Ἐπικτήτου διατριβαί by Epictetus

Meditations Τὰ εἰς ἑαυτόν by Marcus Aurelius

Franny and Zooey by J. D. Salinger

Natural History by Pliny

Quotes about the Stoic Lineage (7 quotes)

“Show me a man who—though sick, is happy; who—though in danger, is happy and I'll show you a Stoic.”

Epictetus Ἐπίκτητος 55 – 135 CE

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“The stoics should inspire a more firm and magnanimous virtue than our religion. They directed self-love to the love of virtue for itself. Christianity tells you after 30 years of crimes that a good confession is enough.”

Voltaire, François-Marie Arouet 1694 – 1778 CE
from Notebooks

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“The Stoics held that supreme good is virtue, and that a man cannot be deprived of virtue by outside causes; this doctrine is implicit in the contention of Socrates that his judges cannot harm him.”

Bertrand Russell 1872 – 1970 CE
“20th century Voltaire”
from History of Western Philosophy

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“It was the Stoics who invented the conception of the brotherhood of man. They taught that all men are children of Zeus and that the sage will ignore the distinctions of Greek and barbarian, bond and free. When Rome brought the whole civilized world under one government, the political environment was favorable to the spread of this doctrine.”

Bertrand Russell 1872 – 1970 CE
“20th century Voltaire”
from Unpopular Essays

Themes: Pluralism

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“Stoicism— which had begun y preaching strength—was ending by preaching resignation. For 400 years Stoicism had been to the upper classes a substitute for religion; now the substitute was put aside... It had conquered philosophy; but already its temple precincts heard reverently the names of invading deities... the incredible victory of Christ.”

Will Durant 1885 – 1981 CE
Philosophy apostle and popularizer of history's lessons
from Caesar and Christ

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“The Stoics thought that the attainment of these solutions was in the power of any man who set himself to live according to reason.”

Isaiah Berlin 1909 – 1997 CE
"the world's greatest talker"
from The Proper Study of Mankind

Themes: Power

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“The most creative current of Greek religious thought—Stoicism—believed that god is one, all-powerful, all-knowing, all-good, all-just. It developed a theme found in Homer: the Zeus of the Iliad was transitioned from being a capricious and lecherous king to being a god of wisdom.”

J. Rufus Fears 1945 – 2012 CE
from Books That Made History

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