10 Stoic Quotes to Change Your Life in 2020

There are times in life when we feel naturally inspired. We wake up with strong intention, full of optimism and gratitude. It’s as if the wind is with our sails and we are heading in the direction that we want.

Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Sometimes, it feels like the wind is against our sails. We wake up feeling lost, feeling sorry for ourselves and it seems hard to find the silver lining.

It is in this time, that we need a little push in the right direction. What better push than some motivation from the most famous of the Stoic texts?

Though the Stoics lived nearly 2,000 years ago, they knew the power of inspiration. They knew that reading the right words at the right time could dramatically transform our lives.

These 10 Stoic quotes will dramatically transform your perspective, and therefore your life.

“Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be One.” — Marcus Aurelius

Actions speak louder than words. Is it a cliche? Maybe. Nonetheless, this powerful idea holds a lot of power in its truth.

Rather than argue and debate about what we believe being a good person entails, Marcus Aurelius is stating that we would be better served to live as an embodiment of this ideal.

“It never ceases to amaze me: we all love ourselves more than other people, but care more about their opinion than our own.” — Marcus Aurelius

How can we really love ourselves if we let the opinions of others dictate the course of our lives?

It is true that we are inherently social creatures. We care about what others think of us. But it is also true that our own happiness relies upon living life in a manner that will bring us fulfillment and joy.

Realistically, the majority of people are caught up in the tides of their own lives. They have their own trials and tribulations to focus on and worry about. Our lives are but a passing thought in their minds.

Value your own opinions and try less to care about what others think about you.

“No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.” — Epictetus

There are some ideas that can withstand the test of time and there are some that do not. This quote from Epictetus, who lived nearly 2,000 years ago is certainly one of them.

In our fast paced, instant gratification world, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that great things take time. If we examine our own lives, it is more than likely that we will find this to be true.

In my own case, my greatest accomplishments have taken this course: writing, recording, and releasing an album, winning a bodybuilding competition, growing my business. Each of these brought with it many obstacles. But perhaps the greatest of which was the testing of my patience.

“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.” — Seneca

The fact is, you and I are far more capable than we give ourselves credit. We can accomplish great feats.

The reason we oftentimes do not, is because we believe we are incapable. We look out into the world and believe that we are inferior to others that live the lives that we dream of for ourselves.

In reality, we see these goals as impossible and therefore never take the first step in that direction. There is immense power in the first step towards any goal. But most of us never take that first step due to fear.

Take the first step.

“You live as if you were destined to live forever, no thought of your frailty ever enters your head, of how much time has already gone by you take no heed. You squander time as if you drew from a full and abundant supply, though all the while that day which you bestow on some person or thing is perhaps your last.” ― Seneca

There is one truth about this life that we cannot escape: we will not live forever. The fact is, most of us live as if we will. And it is this manner of living in which brings us frustration, anxiety, and sometimes even depression.

How often do we put off goals and ambitions for days, weeks, months, or even years? Unfortunately, all of us are racing against time, not drawing from a full and abundant supply.

Rather than dwell on this reality, we can use it to motivate us. We can live with a sense of urgency. We can stop waiting for the perfect time, because that perfect time will never come.

Stop waiting. Start right now.

“You have power over your mind — not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” — Marcus Aurelius

This quote reminds me of a quote by Charles Swindoll, “I am convinced that life is 10% what happens to me and 90% of how I react to it.”

To spend time worrying about outside events that are not within our control, causes worry that is of no benefit to us. In all actuality, we cannot control these outside events. To free ourselves of this stress and worry, we have to accept how little power we hold over them.

What we absolutely hold power over is our own minds. We can control our attitudes. We can control our response to situations that present themselves to us. Our reactions and attitudes towards external events will directly dictate the quality of life we have.

“If you are pained by any external thing, it is not this thing that disturbs you, but your own judgment about it. And it is in your power to wipe out this judgment now.” — Marcus Aurelius

Perception is reality. Yes, another cliche. But we cannot deny its truth.

Perception is incredibly powerful. And in relation to the last quote, we hold power over our perceptions. If we are not aware of this fact, it will feel as if we do not. But we must awaken to the fact that the controlling of our perceptions are within our power.

By realizing that our perceptions are within our power, we can train our minds to let go of that which is not serving us. Of course this is not easy and like anything else, requires practice.

This is a practice worth engaging in.

“Difficulties strengthen the mind, as labor does the body.” ― Seneca

To become stronger physically, we must endure physical training that tests us. If we want bigger muscles, we have to subject ourselves to increasingly heavier weights. If we want better cardiovascular capacity, we must increase the difficulty of our running, biking, or otherwise.

There is a correlation; the harder the labor, the better the result. As a bodybuilder, I know this to be absolutely true. The further I can bathe in pain, the better my results will be.

Why should we believe our minds to be any different? Our minds must be tested to grow. For this reason, we can perceive the difficult situations that arise in our lives as opportunities for growth.

Remember: we control our perceptions, we do not control outside events.

“Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.” — Epictetus

What we learn is only as valuable as how we apply to our lives. And this is for good reason: learning allows us to adapt to our environments. From an evolutionary standpoint, we can see how this would be crucial to survival and success.

We have to convince our brains that the material we are learning is important. How do we do this? By implementing it in our lives.

If we merely read to soak up information, it is likely that information will never be retained. Instead of reading in this manner, we should aim to read and connect the information to relevancy in our lives.

“Let us prepare our minds as if we’d come to the very end of life. Let us postpone nothing. Let us balance life’s books each day… The one who puts the finishing touches on their life each day is never short of time.” — Marcus Aurelius

If we treat each day as if our time is drawing near its end, we will feel the urgency to accomplish everything that we want for ourselves.

Yes, it is true that great feats are not accomplished in a day’s work. But is also true that great feats are striven for on a daily basis, with great intention and intensity.

We must no longer put on hold the life we want for ourselves. We must start, right here and now, taking the steps toward our ideal life. We will achieve this life for ourselves by mirroring that person that strives for ourselves to be.