Musonius Rufus

We will not look at what is sweet, but at what is good.

It is not possible to live well today unless one thinks of it as one's last.

Exile does not deprive us of any of the things which we really possess: water, earth, air, the sun, the moon, friends, family, and most of all virtue.

If one accomplishes some good though with toil, the toil passes, but the good remains; if one does something dishonorable with pleasure, the pleasure passes, but the dishonor remains.

If you accomplish something good with hard work, the labor passes quickly, but the good endures; if you do something shameful in pursuit of pleasure, the pleasure passes quickly, but the shame endures.

Women as well as men have received from the gods the gift of reason, which we use in our dealings with one another and by which we judge whether a thing is good or bad, right or wrong.

One must train the soul more, indeed much more, than the body, because the soul that does not have the support of a strong body is more readily harmed.

A king should rule by reason, not by force. And the reason of a king has to be good if he is to rule well.

Whoever wants to escape difficult tasks must escape from life itself; for life is full of toil.

The human being is born with an inclination toward virtue.

If one were to measure what is agreeable by the standard of pleasure, nothing would be pleasanter than self-control; and if one were to measure what is to be avoided by pain, nothing would be more painful than lack of self-control.

It is far better to comfort our friend than to be comforted by him.

Since a human being happens to be neither soul alone, nor body alone, but a kind of composite of the two, the person in training must take care of both.

We must use each of these two kinds of exercise, the more so the body since it is nearer at hand and more within our reach, but not to the neglect of the more important.

The chief end of marriage is to live in community, and to procreate children... They must not marry for wealth or noble birth, but for character.

Even more than the artisan requires his tools, the man aiming at virtue requires philosophy.

What good is a great deal of food when nothing wholesome is eaten? Or a great deal of wine when nothing sober is drunk? So it is with much learning when nothing sound is learned.

The purpose of taking food is not pleasure, but rather nourishment. Health is the end.

Clothing is for the sake of the body, not for display.

Practice is more effective than theory, because it leads the man to action; but theory prepares the man to act.

One would gain nothing from philosophy unless he practiced the doctrines every day.

You will earn the respect of all if you begin by earning the respect of yourself.

The person who has the greater knowledge and the greater practice will lead the more virtuous life.

Not only is virtue divine, but it is also the greatest good.

It is not death which is honorable or shameful, but the manner of dying.

The good is that which is beneficial, and virtue is the good; therefore virtue is what is beneficial.

Why is it that so few care for their souls?

The one who is truly free is the one who has learned how to live.

We must persevere and be strong; for what other course is there in bad circumstances?

Man is born with an inclination toward virtue.

Every human being is naturally suited to living virtuously.