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What is Stoicism?
Stoicism is a school of philosophy founded in Athens around 300 BC by Zeno of Citium. It takes its name from the Stoa Poikile, the painted porch where Zeno taught. It began as an answer to one question: how should a person live?
The answer is practical. Do not spend your effort on what you cannot control, act with virtue in what you can, and treat your own judgments as the place where most suffering is made and most peace is found.
The big ideas
- Virtue is the highest good. The Stoics named four virtues: wisdom, courage, justice and temperance.
- Some things are up to us and some are not. Your opinions and choices are yours. Your reputation, your health and other people are not wholly yours.
- Events trouble us less than our judgments about them. The Stoic exercise is to examine those judgments.
- We belong to one another. Stoic ethics are social: duty to family, friends and community is part of living well.
- Life is short, so use it. Remembering death is meant as a spur to action, not a source of gloom.
“There are things which are within our power, and there are things which are beyond our power.”
Epictetus, Enchiridion 1 (Elizabeth Carter translation)
Who the Stoics were
The early Stoics, Zeno, Cleanthes and Chrysippus, survive only in fragments. The Stoics whose own words we can read are Roman: Seneca, a statesman and writer; Epictetus, a former slave whose teaching was written down by his student Arrian; and Marcus Aurelius, the emperor who wrote the Meditations as private notes to himself.
What Stoicism is not
In everyday English, "stoic" means putting up with pain without complaint. The philosophy is different. Stoics felt grief, fear and anger. They trained to examine those responses rather than be ruled by them.
It is not passive, and it is not a religion. The Stoics held views about nature and reason, but practising their exercises does not require worship or membership of anything.
Stoicism and modern therapy
Cognitive behavioural therapy drew on Stoic ideas. Its founders, Albert Ellis and Aaron Beck, cited Epictetus as an influence. Stoicism is a philosophy, not a treatment. If something is affecting your sleep, work or health, please speak to a doctor or qualified therapist as well.
How to start
You learn Stoicism by practising it. A good first step is the seven-day starter plan linked below. If you would rather talk something through, you can describe what is on your mind to the Oracle and receive a reflection in the voice of one of the three great Stoics.
Put it into practice
Describe what you are carrying and receive a reflection from Marcus Aurelius, Seneca or Epictetus, applied to your situation. Three free consultations a day. Members get up to 30 a day, an Oracle that remembers, and a weekly pattern note.
Ask the OracleFrequently asked questions
Who founded Stoicism?
Zeno of Citium founded it in Athens around 300 BC. It later flourished in Rome through Seneca, Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius.
Is Stoicism a religion?
No. The Stoics had views about nature, reason and the divine, but the practice does not require worship, belief or membership.
Does Stoicism mean suppressing emotions?
No. Stoics felt emotions. The aim was to examine the judgments behind them and not be ruled by them.
Is Stoicism still useful today?
Many people find its exercises useful for stress, anger and setbacks, and some therapies borrow from it. It is not a medical treatment.