About Stoicism

Stoicism was founded by Zeno of Citium (a town in Cyprus) in around 300BC. After being shipwrecked and losing his fortune just off the coast of Greece, Zeno decided to give up being a merchant and followed the teachings of Plato in the Platonic School in Athens. After years of study he decided to set up his own school and used a painted wooden Stoa (the Greek word for porch) in Athens to teach a new philosophy which became known as Stoicism. Stoicism became very popular and the school thrived even after Zeno's death and spread, not only throughout Ancient Greece but through the new power in the world the Roman Empire.

The three most famous Stoics were all Roman, Epictetus, Seneca and the Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Much of what we learn today about Stoicism comes from the work of these three guys and many books have been published about them and the wisdom they gave the world.

Now, please do not think that what they had to say hundreds of years ago isn't relative today, it most certainly is. Stress, Fear, Anxiety, Depression, along with Money, Power, Poverty and the will to Succeed existed then no different to today. They had the same stresses and strains in their lives back then as we do now, nothing has really changed especially regarding human nature. Just as back then Stoicism today can give us the tools to deal with everything life can throw at us whilst remaining calm and resilient even in this modern frenetic world.