WORDS FROM A GREAT MIND

Zeno of Citium

Founder of Stoicism

Born: c. 334 BCE
Died: c. 262 BCE
Lived in: Citium on Cyprus & Athens

Zeno of Citium was a Hellenistic philosopher from Cyprus who founded Stoicism in Athens. He taught that a good life follows reason, virtue, and nature, and that external fortune matters less than the character with which we meet it.

A LESSER-KNOWN DETAIL

Tradition says a shipwreck brought him to Athens, where a bookseller introduced him to philosophy. His followers met in the Painted Stoa, the colonnade that gave Stoicism its name.

Words by Zeno of Citium

“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”

Zeno of Citium ↗

“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”

Zeno of Citium ↗

“The end may be defined as life in accordance with nature.”

Zeno of Citium ↗