Zeno of Citium

Happiness is a good flow of life.

Zeno of Citium (334 BC – 262 BC) was a Greek philosopher from Cyprus, and was the founder of the Stoic school of philosophy which he taught in Athens, from about 300 BC.

Sourced

Seeing that the universe gives birth to beings that are animate and wise, should it not be considered animate and wise itself?

• Happiness is a good flow of life.
  • As quoted by Stobaeus, ii. 77.

• Love is a god, who cooperates in securing the safety of the city.
  • As quoted in Deipnosophists by Athenaeus, xiii. 561c.

• All the good are friends of one another.
  • As quoted in Stromata, v. 14. by Clement of Alexandria

• We have two ears and one mouth, so we should listen more than we say.
  • As quoted by Diogenes Laërtius, vii. 23.

• No evil is honorable; but death is honorable; therefore death is not evil.
  • As quoted in Epistles No. 82, by Seneca

• A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason, and against nature.
  • As quoted in Tusculanae Quaestiones by Cicero, iv. 6.

• That which exercises reason is more excellent than that which does not exercise reason; there is nothing more excellent than the universe, therefore the universe exercises reason.
  • As quoted in De Natura Deorum by Cicero, ii. 8.; iii. 9

• If melodiously piping flutes sprang from the olive, would you doubt that a knowledge of flute-playing resided in the olive? And what if plane trees bore harps which gave forth rhythmical sounds? Clearly you would think in the same way that the art of music was possessed by plane trees. Why, then, seeing that the universe gives birth to beings that are animate and wise, should it not be considered animate and wise itself?
  • As quoted in De Natura Deorum by Cicero, ii. 8.

External links

• Zeno of Citium by Robin Turner in Sensible Marks of Ideas
• Zeno of Cittium - founder of Stoicism by Paul Harrison.