Stoicism began with Zeno of Citium who was born about 334 BCE, a few decades after the death of Alexander the Great and Aristotle. Sometime around 304 BCE, this young merchant clearly exhausted, laid on the shore of one of the many islands off the coast near Athens. Having just survived his ship sinking, he knew all his valuables were gone, devoured by the ocean’s insatiable void.
Sometime soon after, he realized it was his mind, and only his mind, that put value on the things he just lost. He realized it was his thoughts of the future that colored his soul dark. That’s when stoicism was birthed.
When Zeno was about 60, Chrysippus was born. This is about 279 BCE. Chrysippus, often called the second founder of Stoicism, introduced a logical framework and refined the idea of the Dichotomy of Control—the distinction between what we can and cannot control. The later Roman stoic Seneca, who was born around 4 BCE, broadened stoicism. He reframed it as a personal tool of resilience and ethical living. Epictetus, born a slave around 50 CE, further developed the Three Disciplines of Desire.
Marcus Aurelius, born in 121 CE, and Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 CE, is perhaps the most famous Stoic. His reflections compiled in Meditations, embody the core of Stoicism. Written during times of immense pressure, his work offers timeless insights on resilience, self-discipline, and virtue. He embodied the very concept of the philosopher-king as envisioned by Plato, in his seminal work, “The Republic.” Power often breeds corruption, but Marcus emerged as a beacon of hope, a ruler who remained humble and resolute. Although Plato’s vision of philosopher-kings is a compelling idea, history shows us that it is an elusive one, making Marcus a truly exceptional figure.