Zeno of Citium Quotes
Zeno of Citium was a Greek philosopher of Phoenician descent and the founder of Stoicism. After surviving a shipwreck on the voyage to Athens around 312 BC, he became a student of the Cynic Crates and went on to teach in the Stoa Poikile, from which the school takes its name. The quotes below are attributed to Zeno of Citium, organized by topic.
Browse Zeno of Citium by topic
Zeno of Citium on Death
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“No evil is honorable; but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil.”
As quoted in Epistles No. 82, by Seneca the Younger
Zeno of Citium on God
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“Love is a God , who cooperates in securing the safety of the city.”
As quoted in Deipnosophists by Athenaeus , xiii. 561c.
Zeno of Citium on Happiness
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“Happiness is a good flow of life.”
As quoted by Stobaeus , ii. 77.
Zeno of Citium on Life
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“The "end" here means “the goal of life.”
(The end is) life in agreement with nature -
“(The end is) life in agreement with nature”
As quoted by Diogenes Laërtius , in Lives of Eminent Philosophers : 'Zeno', 7.87 .: “This is why Zeno was the first (in his treatise On the Nature of Man ) to designate as the end ‘life in agreement with nature ’ (or living agreeably to nat
Zeno of Citium on Mind
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“Variant translation: The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less.”
We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say. -
“A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason , and against nature .”
As quoted in Tusculanae Quaestiones by Cicero , iv. 6.
Zeno of Citium on Nature
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“The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.”
As quoted by Diogenes Laërtius , in Lives of Eminent Philosophers : 'Zeno', 7.87 .: “This is why Zeno was the first (in his treatise On the Nature of Man ) to designate as the end ‘life in agreement with nature ’ (or living agreeably to nature)... | The "end" here means “the goal of life. -
Attributed to Zeno of Citium:
“All things are parts of one single system, which is called nature.”
Zeno of Citium on Virtue
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Attributed to Zeno of Citium:
“Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”
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“We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
As quoted in Diogenes Laërtius Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers , vii. 23. | Variant translation: The reason why we have two ears and only one mouth is that we may listen the more and talk the less. -
Attributed to Zeno of Citium:
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”
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“No one entrusts a secret to a drunken man; but one will entrust a secret to a good man; therefore, the good man will not get drunk.”
As quoted in Epistulae morales ad Lucilium by Seneca , Epistle LXXXIII (trans. R. M. Gummere) -
“All the good are friends of one another.”
As quoted in Stromata , v. 14. by Clement of Alexandria -
“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.”
As quoted in De Natura Deorum by Cicero , ii. 8.; iii. 9.
Things actually not said by Zeno of Citium
A number of widely-shared lines are circulated as Zeno of Citium but are in fact from someone else. Did Zeno of Citium say these? No. Each entry below pairs the line with the person who actually wrote it.
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Did Zeno of Citium say this? No.
“Man conquers the world by conquering himself”
This quote is commonly attributed to philosophers but its actual source is uncertain or unverified in the standard reference works. Wikiquote's note on this attribution: This quote has been ascribed to Zeno on Twitter since 2015 . It similarly appears in the 2018 novel, Secrets Under the Sun , by Nadia Marks . It could be a paraphrase of this line from Plato : "it is the first and best of all victories for a man to conquer himself" ( Laws , i. 626E, Burges trans.).