Zeno of Citium
Founder of Stoicism, which emphasized virtue, reason, and living in harmony with nature.
Most quoted
"The avaricious man is like the barren sandy ground of the desert which sucks in all the rain and dew with greediness, but yields no fruitful herbs or plants for the benefit of others."
— from As reported by Diogenes Laërtius
"That which exercises reason is more excellent than that which does not exercise reason; there is nothing more excellent than the universe, therefore the universe exercises reason."
— from As reported by Diogenes Laërtius
"The end may be defined as life in accordance with nature or, in other words, in accordance with our own human nature as well as that of the universe."
— from As reported by Diogenes Laërtius
All quotes by Zeno of Citium (145)
The wise man is a destination.
The wise man is a journey.
The wise man is a beginning.
The wise man is an end.
The wise man is a circle.
The wise man is a straight line.
The wise man is a point.
The wise man is a space.
The wise man is a time.
The wise man is eternity.
We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we speak.
The only good is what is honorable; the only evil is what is shameful.
Fate guides the willing, but drags the unwilling.
No great thing is created suddenly.
A bad world is better than a dead world.
The wise man is sufficient unto himself for a happy existence.
Right reason is the true excellence of our nature.
All things are bound by law and nothing happens without cause.
The universe is a single living being, embracing all things.
Virtue is the sole good; vice the sole evil.
Contemporaries of Zeno of Citium
Other Philosophys born within 50 years of Zeno of Citium (-334–-262).