New to the Stoics?
The Stoics wrote for ordinary life. You do not need any preparation: start with a single passage.
What is Stoicism?
Stoicism was a school of philosophy founded in Athens around 300 BC and carried on for centuries in the Roman world. Its concern was practical: how to live well, keep a clear head, and meet fortune, loss, and other people with steadiness. The Stoics held that we are troubled less by events themselves than by our opinions about them, and that focusing on things genuinely within our control, i.e. our own judgments and choices, will lead to a good life.
Pick a door
Each work suits a different kind of reader. If you can’t decide, start with Seneca.
- Want the ideas explained, with examples? Seneca, Letters 1. Friendly, patient letters of advice to a friend.
- Want to eavesdrop on an emperor? Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 2.1. The emperor braces himself each morning for difficult people.
- Want it blunt and short? Epictetus, Enchiridion 1. “Some things are in our control and others not.” Short, but dense; the Discourses fill in the reasoning.
- Want arguments, with pushback? Epictetus, Discourses 1.1. The same idea at full length, argued out in the classroom.
- Want plain advice on ordinary life? Musonius Rufus, Lecture 3. “That women too should study philosophy,” a surprising position for the first century.
Using this library
Find a text. Browse by work in the Library, or use Search to find a word, phrase, or passage across the collection.
Move through it. Read one passage at a time or switch to Book view for continuous reading. Use the arrows at the bottom of the page, the left and right arrow keys, or the numbered contents in the sidebar. On a phone, open the menu to reach the contents and view controls.
Save a place. Select the bookmark icon in the reader toolbar to save the current passage, chapter, letter, or book. Your Bookmarks stay in this browser. Visiting another part of the library does not move or replace them.
Adjust the page. Open Aa to change the text size, line spacing, or light and dark appearance. These choices are remembered in this browser.
Compare or share. Choose a translation in the sidebar. Where two translations are available, Compare shows them together. Share copies a permanent link or a citation to the reading. Press the question mark key to see the keyboard shortcuts.
Translations
The translations here are complete, in the public domain, and sometimes older and archaic. Where two translations of a work are available, you can switch between them or compare them side by side. The About page lists each translator and edition.