Zeno of Citium
c. 334 – 262 BCE · Athens
A Phoenician merchant from Citium on Cyprus who, according to legend, lost his cargo in a shipwreck and discovered philosophy by chance in an Athenian bookshop. He studied under the Cynic Crates and others before founding his own school around 300 BCE, teaching in the Stoa Poikile (Painted Porch) from which Stoicism takes its name. None of his writings survive intact; we know him through fragments and reports preserved chiefly by Diogenes Laërtius.
Key works
- Republic — A vision of an ideal community; survives only in fragments.
- On Human Nature — Reportedly the first work to define the goal of life as 'living in agreement with nature.'
Selected passages
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Man conquers the world by conquering himself.
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The goal of life is living in agreement with nature.
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We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.
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Better to trip with the feet than with the tongue.
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Well-being is the good flow of life. Virtue is the only thing that makes life flow well.
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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.
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A good flow of life is the name given to the conduct which is in perfect accordance with virtue.
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The virtues are so linked and united together that he who has one has them all.
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The wise man is self-sufficient, in the sense that all that he needs for happiness lies in himself. Friends and wealth are preferred, but not necessary.
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The wise man will participate in politics, unless something prevents him. For virtue is not a solitary thing, but is exercised in society.
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The wise man is the only good general, the only good orator, the only good poet, and the only good king. For all these arts require virtue.
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The use of wine in abundance is a freezing of the mind. The wise man will use it with moderation, or not at all.
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The wise man is self-sufficient, needing no one, yet he will make friends and be grateful, for friendship is a natural and good thing.
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Happiness is the good flow of life, which is found only in virtue. External things are neither good nor evil, but indifferent.