30 Zeno Quotes That You Must Read!

Zeno Of Citium, Philosopher, Thinker
Zeno of Citium

Zeno of Citium is known to be an ancient Hellenistic philosopher from Phoenecia who was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy around the early third century, BCE. This philosophy was designed to shape the human spirit so that it becomes resilient, happy, virtuous, and wise, as a consequence of which they evolve into better individuals possessing great strength of mind and soul. Stoicism and its principles equip human beings to wade through the otherwise ugly and most challenging river of life with a composed mind and a calm heart. It is believed that Zeno’s teachings had a major influence in paving the way for the evolution of Christianity.

Table of Contents

ZENO QUOTES

Statue of Zeno, the stoic philosopher
Statue of Zeno, the stoic philosopher
  1. “If melodiously piping flutes sprang from the olive, would you doubt that a knowledge of flute-playing resided in the olive? And what if plane trees bore harps which gave forth rhythmical sounds? Clearly you would think in the same way that the art of music was possessed by plane trees. Why, then, seeing that the universe gives birth to beings that are animate and wise, should it not be considered animate and wise itself?”
  2. “Fate is the endless chain of causation, whereby things are; the reason or formula by which the world goes on.”
  3. “Well-being is attained by little and little, and nevertheless is no little thing itself.”
  4. “We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.”
  5. “No evil is honourable: but death is honourable; therefore death is not evil.”
  6. “All things are parts of one single system, which is called nature; the individual life is good when it is in harmony with nature.”
  7. “Steel your sensibilities, so that life shall hurt you as little as possible.”
  8. “No matter whether you claim a slave by purchase or capture, the title is bad. They who claim to own their fellow-men, look down into the pit and forget the justice that should rule the world.”
  9. “Happiness is a good flow of life.”
  10. “A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.”
  11. “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.”
  12. “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.”
  13. “All the good are friends of one another.”
  14. “Love is a God, who cooperates in securing the safety of the city.”
  15. “Man conquers the world by conquering himself.”
  16. “When a dog is tied to a cart, if it wants to follow, it is pulled and follows, making its spontaneous act coincide with necessity. But if the dog does not follow, it will be compelled in any case. So it is with men too: even if they don’t want to, they will be compelled to follow what is destined.”
  17. “A friend is our alter ego.”
  18. “Nothing is more hostile to a firm grasp on knowledge than self-deception.”
  19. “He would stretch his arm out in from of his and show his open palm…and he would point to his hand and say “this is perception”. then he would SLIGHTLY close his fingers…just a little bit…so now he looks like Zeno with arthritis…and he points to his hand NOW and says “This is assent” you know.. agreement or belief in something. then he closes his fist tight and points to it and says “This is Comprehension”. Then he takes his other hand and grabs his fist…holding it closed and says “This is Knowledge.”
  20. “Follow where reason leads.”
  21. “The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.”
  22. “Fortune bids me to follow philosophy with fewer encumbrance.”
  23. “Seeing that the universe gives birth to beings that are animate and wise, should it not be considered animate and wise itself?”
  24. “Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.”
  25. “No one entrusts a secret to a drunken man; but one will entrust a secret to a drunken man; therefore, the good man will not get drunk.”
  26. “The avaricious man is like the barren, sandy ground of the desert, which sucks in all the rain and dews with greediness, but yields no fruitful herbs or plants for the benefit of others.”
  27. “Man seems to be deficient in nothing so much as he is in time.”
  28. “By silence, I hear other men’s imperfections and conceal my own.”
  29. “Extravagance is its own destroyer.”
  30. “if being is many, it must be both like and unlike, and this is impossible, for neither can the like be unlike, nor the unlike like”

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