Stoicism is a school of thought in ancient Greek philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium. As is well known, because Zeno taught in a school that had a stoa poikile or “painted porch”, his philosophy came to be known as Stoicism. Zeno believed that the world is ruled by a divine plan and that everything in nature, including humans, exists for a reason. And for the Stoics, the most important expression of the notion of “divine plan” is the belief that whatever happens, happens for a reason. Hence, for the Stoics, there are no accidents, and that all must be accepted as part of the plan.

1. WHAT IS
STOICISM?

2. STOICISM is a
school of thought
in ancient Greek
philosophy
founded by
Zeno of Citium.

3. As is well known, because Zeno
taught in a school that had a
stoa poikile or “painted porch”,
his philosophy came to be known as
STOICISM.

4. Zeno believed that the world
is ruled by a divine plan and
that everything
in nature,
including humans,
exists for a reason.

5. And for the Stoics, the most
important expression of the notion
of “divine plan” is the belief that
whatever happens, happens for a
reason.
Hence, for the Stoics, there are no
accidents, and that all must be
accepted as part of the plan.

6. Full transcript of this presentation is
available at:
https://philonotes.com/index.php/2019/11/08/what-is-
stoicism/
A video version of this presentation is
available at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WONyQUfY5bg

7. The ultimate goal of life
for the Stoics, therefore,
implies accepting one’s fate
with indifference even
in the face of suffering.
Thus, for the Stoics, courage in the face
of suffering is the most admirable of all
human virtues. This is captured in the
famous Stoic line:

8. “You must die, but you need not
die groaning; you must be
imprisoned, but you need not
whine; you must suffer exile,
but you can do so with a smile,
courage, and at peace;
your body can be chained,
but not your will.”

9. In short, a Stoic is
a person who may
be sick, in pain, in
peril, dying, in exile,
or disgraced but is
still HAPPY!
Hence, the famous
Stoic line as well:

10. “Every man is an actor in a play,
in which God has assigned the parts;
it is our duty to perform our part
worthily, whatever it may be.”

11. As we can see, the Stoics recommend
that people must accept their fate and
perform their duties without question.
This is because, for the Stoics,
the joy in life comes from the knowledge
that one is participating in a master plan,
even if that plan is incomprehensible to her.