Stoic Wisdom: 106 Quotes for Ultimate Self-Control

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1. “Really, at the end of the day, the only thing you can control is yourself; the only person you can truly educate is yourself. You have to redefine what beauty is to you so you can’t be affected by what people are saying.

– Rupi Kaur

Rupi Kaur Quote: “Really, at the end of the day, the only thing you can control is yourself; the only person you can truly educate is yourself. You have to redefine what beauty is to you so you can't be affected by what people are saying.”

2. “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.

– Reinhold Niebuhr

Reinhold Niebuhr Quote: “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”

3. “You can’t control the world, but when you control your thoughts, you bring order.

– Bernie Siegel

Bernie Siegel Quote: “You can't control the world, but when you control your thoughts, you bring order.”

4. “You want to change your life? Control the only thing you can control; the meaning you give something.

– Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins Quote: “You want to change your life? Control the only thing you can control; the meaning you give something.”

5. “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself.

– Pythagoras

Pythagoras Quote: “Concern should drive us into action and not into a depression. No man is free who cannot control himself.”

6. “To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control.

– Martha Nussbaum

Martha Nussbaum Quote: “To be a good human being is to have a kind of openness to the world, an ability to trust uncertain things beyond your own control.”

7. “Our happiness is not to be found in the judgments of others or in things outside of our control.

– Arianna Huffington

Arianna Huffington Quote: “Our happiness is not to be found in the judgments of others or in things outside of our control.”

8. “Success at anything will always come down to this; focus and effort. And we control both.

– Dwayne Johnson

Dwayne Johnson Quote: “Success at anything will always come down to this; focus and effort. And we control both.”

9. “You only have control over three things in your life – the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions your take.

– Jack Canfield

Jack Canfield Quote: “You only have control over three things in your life – the thoughts you think, the images you visualize, and the actions your take.”

10. “You must completely control your desire and shift your avoidance to what lies within your reasoned choice. You must no longer feel anger, resentment, envy, or regret.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “You must completely control your desire and shift your avoidance to what lies within your reasoned choice. You must no longer feel anger, resentment, envy, or regret.”

11. “Control what you can control. I can control my emotions, my attitude, my effort every day.

– Mitchell Trubisky

Mitchell Trubisky Quote: “Control what you can control. I can control my emotions, my attitude, my effort every day.”

12. “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength”

13. “It never ceases to amaze me; we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “It never ceases to amaze me; we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinions than our own.”

14. “No man is free who is not master of himself.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “No man is free who is not master of himself.”

15. “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”

16. “The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “The goal of life is living in agreement with Nature.”

17. “Take control of your consistent emotions and begin to consciously and deliberately reshape your daily experience of life.

– Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins Quote: “Take control of your consistent emotions and begin to consciously and deliberately reshape your daily experience of life.”

18. “You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.

– Wayne W. Dyer

Wayne W. Dyer Quote: “You cannot always control what goes on outside. But you can always control what goes on inside.”

19. “You learned to run from what you feel, and that’s why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.

– Megan Chance

Megan Chance Quote: “You learned to run from what you feel, and that's why you have nightmares. To deny is to invite madness. To accept is to control.”

20. “If you focus on what you can’t control, you’re a little crazy inside, angry and depressed. If you focus most of the time on what you don’t have instead of what you do have, you’re going to be extremely unhappy.

– Tony Robbins

Tony Robbins Quote: “If you focus on what you can’t control, you’re a little crazy inside, angry and depressed. If you focus most of the time on what you don’t have instead of what you do have, you’re going to be extremely unhappy.”

21. “Just keep in mind; the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Just keep in mind; the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”

22. “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.

– Angelina Jolie

Angelina Jolie Quote: “Life comes with many challenges. The ones that should not scare us are the ones we can take on and take control of.”

23. “You can control two things; your work ethic and your attitude about anything.

– Ali Krieger

Ali Krieger Quote: “You can control two things; your work ethic and your attitude about anything.”

24. “At the end of the day, you can’t control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.

– Ben Zobrist

Ben Zobrist Quote: “At the end of the day, you can't control the results; you can only control your effort level and your focus.”

25. “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”

26. “You can’t control how other people see you or think of you. But you have to be comfortable with that.

– Helen Mirren

Helen Mirren Quote: “You can't control how other people see you or think of you. But you have to be comfortable with that.”

27. “Your reputation is in the hands of others. That’s what the reputation is. You can’t control that. The only thing you can control is your character.

– Wayne Dyer

Wayne Dyer Quote: “Your reputation is in the hands of others. That's what the reputation is. You can't control that. The only thing you can control is your character.”

28. “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.

– Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin Quote: “While we may not be able to control all that happens to us, we can control what happens inside us.”

29. “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor a man perfected without trials.”

30. “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

– Buddha

Buddha Quote: “No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.”

31. “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “Dwell on the beauty of life. Watch the stars, and see yourself running with them.”

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

– Zeno

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

33. “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.

– Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl Quote: “When we are no longer able to change a situation, we are challenged to change ourselves.”

34. “Only the educated are free.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Only the educated are free.”

35. “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “You could leave life right now. Let that determine what you do and say and think.”

36. “Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well-ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “Nothing, to my way of thinking, is a better proof of a well-ordered mind than a man’s ability to stop just where he is and pass some time in his own company.”

37. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

38. “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”

39. “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “We are more often frightened than hurt; and we suffer more from imagination than from reality.”

40. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”

41. “A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”

42. “Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “Well-being is realized by small steps, but is truly no small thing.”

43. “Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.”

44. “How satisfying it is to dismiss and block out any upsetting or foreign impression, and immediately to have peace in all things.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “How satisfying it is to dismiss and block out any upsetting or foreign impression, and immediately to have peace in all things.”

45. “The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “The greatest obstacle to living is expectancy, which hangs upon tomorrow and loses today.”

46. “Man is essentially a story-telling animal, but a teller of stories that aspire to truth.

– Alisdair MacIntyre

Alisdair MacIntyre Quote: “Man is essentially a story-telling animal, but a teller of stories that aspire to truth.”

47. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”

48. “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”

49. “People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.”

50. “Settle on the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Settle on the type of person you want to be and stick to it, whether alone or in company.”

51. “Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will—then your life will flow well.”

52. “It is only by participation in a rational, practice-based community that one becomes rational.

– Alisdair MacIntyre

Alisdair MacIntyre Quote: “It is only by participation in a rational, practice-based community that one becomes rational.”

53. “A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “A gift consists not in what is done or given, but in the intention of the giver or doer.”

54. “I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.

– Cato the Younger

Cato the Younger Quote: “I begin to speak only when I’m certain what I’ll say isn’t better left unsaid.”

55. “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “Life is very short and anxious for those who forget the past, neglect the present, and fear the future.”

56. “It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”

57. “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

– Epicurus

Epicurus Quote: “Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not. Remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.”

58. “Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine than what causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “Understand at last that you have something in you more powerful and divine than what causes the bodily passions and pulls you like a mere puppet.”

59. “He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive.”

60. “Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.

– Martha Nussbaum

Martha Nussbaum Quote: “Knowledge is no guarantee of good behavior, but ignorance is a virtual guarantee of bad behavior.”

61. “I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?

– Alisdair MacIntyre

Alisdair MacIntyre Quote: “I can only answer the question ‘What am I to do?’ if I can answer the prior question ‘Of what story or stories do I find myself a part?”

62. “Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.”

63. “The exercise of the virtues is itself a crucial component of the good life for man.

– Alisdair MacIntyre

Alisdair MacIntyre Quote: “The exercise of the virtues is itself a crucial component of the good life for man.”

64. “Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.”

65. “Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.”

66. “The Fates guide the person who accepts them and hinder the person who resists them.

– Cleanthes

Cleanthes Quote: “The Fates guide the person who accepts them and hinder the person who resists them.”

67. “Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.

– Randy Pausch

Randy Pausch Quote: “Complaining does not work as a strategy. We all have finite time and energy. Any time we spend whining is unlikely to help us achieve our goals. And it won’t make us happier.”

68. “Business leaders love the humanities because they know that to innovate you need more than rote knowledge. You need a trained imagination.

– Martha Nussbaum

Martha Nussbaum Quote: “Business leaders love the humanities because they know that to innovate you need more than rote knowledge. You need a trained imagination.”

69. “No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.”

70. “If what you have seems insufficient to you, then though you possess the world, you will yet be miserable.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “If what you have seems insufficient to you, then though you possess the world, you will yet be miserable.”

71. “A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.

– Nassim Taleb

Nassim Taleb Quote: “A Stoic is someone who transforms fear into prudence, pain into transformation, mistakes into initiation, and desire into undertaking.”

72. “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.

– Viktor Frankl

Viktor Frankl Quote: “Everything can be taken from a man but one thing; the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.”

73. “There could be no justice, unless there were also injustice; no courage, unless there were cowardice; no truth, unless there were falsehood.

– Chrysippus

Chrysippus Quote: “There could be no justice, unless there were also injustice; no courage, unless there were cowardice; no truth, unless there were falsehood.”

74. “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “The things you think about determine the quality of your mind.”

75. “If you want to determine the nature of anything, entrust it to time; when the sea is stormy, you can see nothing clearly.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “If you want to determine the nature of anything, entrust it to time; when the sea is stormy, you can see nothing clearly.”

76. “So other people hurt me? That’s their problem. Their character and actions are not mine.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “So other people hurt me? That's their problem. Their character and actions are not mine.”

77. “Anger brings about nothing grand or beautiful. On the other hand, to be constantly irritated seems to me to be the part of a languid and unhappy mind, conscious of its own feebleness.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “Anger brings about nothing grand or beautiful. On the other hand, to be constantly irritated seems to me to be the part of a languid and unhappy mind, conscious of its own feebleness.”

78. “The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “The best way to avenge yourself is to not be like that.”

79. “When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”

80. “Men are disturbed not by things but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Men are disturbed not by things but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.”

81. “The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.

– Heraclitus

Heraclitus Quote: “The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think and what you do is who you become.”

82. “Another person will not hurt you without your cooperation. You are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Another person will not hurt you without your cooperation. You are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be.”

83. “An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.

– Cato The Elder

Cato The Elder Quote: “An angry man opens his mouth and shuts his eyes.”

84. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”

85. “All things are parts of one single system, which is called nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with nature.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “All things are parts of one single system, which is called nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with nature.”

86. “It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.”

87. “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will.”

88. “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.

– Epicurus

Epicurus Quote: “The fool, with all his other faults, has this also, he is always getting ready to live.”

89. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”

90. “You have power over your mind – not external events. Realize this and you will have strength.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “You have power over your mind – not external events. Realize this and you will have strength.”

91. “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “It’s time you realized that you have something in you more powerful and miraculous than the things that affect you and make you dance like a puppet.”

92. “It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.”

93. “Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “Choose not to be harmed—and you won’t feel harmed. Don’t feel harmed—and you haven’t been.”

94. “The whole future lies in uncertainty; live immediately.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “The whole future lies in uncertainty; live immediately.”

95. “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”

96. “We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “We should not, like sheep, follow the herd of creatures in front of us, making our way where others go, not where we ought to go.”

97. “It doesn’t hurt me unless I interpret it’s happening as harmful to me. I can choose not to.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “It doesn’t hurt me unless I interpret it’s happening as harmful to me. I can choose not to.”

98. “How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us!

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “How much more harmful are the consequences of anger and grief than the circumstances that aroused them in us!”

99. “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “You shouldn’t give circumstances the power to rouse anger, for they don’t care at all.”

100. “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.”

101. “Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.

– Seneca

Seneca Quote: “Anger, if not restrained, is frequently more hurtful to us than the injury that provokes it.”

102. “If you lay violent hands on me, you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo.

– Zeno

Zeno Quote: “If you lay violent hands on me, you’ll have my body, but my mind will remain with Stilpo.”

103. “When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn't have to look outside themselves for approval.”

104. “There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.

– Plato

Plato Quote: “There are two things a person should never be angry at, what they can help, and what they cannot.”

105. “Curb your desire—don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need.

– Epictetus

Epictetus Quote: “Curb your desire—don’t set your heart on so many things and you will get what you need.”

106. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.

– Marcus Aurelius

Marcus Aurelius Quote: “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.”
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