Last updated on October 2nd, 2026 at 07:39 am
Two colleagues were passed over for the same promotion. One spent months resenting it; the other asked what she could control, sought feedback, and was promoted the next year.
The principles of Stoicism are the core ideas the ancient Stoics used to live calmly, act well, and handle whatever life brought.
The promoted colleague was applying the oldest of them without knowing its name: put your energy into what is yours to control.
These principles come from Zeno, Seneca, Epictetus, and Marcus Aurelius, and they remain practical guides for work, relationships, and hardship.
The sections below explain ten central Stoic principles, where each comes from, and simple ways to practice them today.
None require believing in ancient physics; all require practice.
Table of Contents
What Makes a Principle Stoic?
Stoic principles share one aim: a good life built on virtue and accurate judgment rather than on luck, wealth, or approval.
They grew out of a complete system of logic, physics, and ethics, outlined in what Stoicism teaches.
The ten below are the ideas modern readers find most useful, drawn mainly from the Roman Stoics whose writings survive.
Their own words are freely available, including Epictetus’s Enchiridion and Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, in older public-domain translations.
| Principle | Core Idea | Key Source |
|---|---|---|
| Dichotomy of control | Concentrate on what is up to you | Epictetus |
| Virtue is the only good | Character outweighs circumstances | All Stoics |
| Live according to nature | Use reason and serve others | Zeno, Chrysippus |
| Emotions follow judgments | Change the judgment, change the feeling | Epictetus |
| Indifferents | Health and wealth matter, but less than virtue | Chrysippus, Seneca |
| Amor fati | Accept and even welcome what happens | Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius |
| Memento mori | Remember death to live fully | Marcus Aurelius, Seneca |
| Impermanence | Everything changes | Marcus Aurelius |
| Cosmopolitanism | All humans share one community | Marcus Aurelius, Seneca |
| The obstacle is the way | Difficulties are material for virtue | Marcus Aurelius |
10 Principles of Stoicism
1. The Dichotomy of Control
Epictetus opens the Enchiridion by dividing things into those within our power, such as opinions, desires, and actions, and those outside it, such as property and reputation.
Peace comes from investing effort in the first group and accepting the second.
Modern Stoics sometimes add a middle category of things we influence but do not control, such as a job interview’s outcome.
Practice it: Before a worrying event, list what you control, what you influence, and what you cannot change.
2. Virtue Is the Only True Good
For the Stoics, wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance are the only things always good, since they cannot be misused.
Money or fame can serve good or bad ends, but good character always benefits its owner and others. The four virtues are explored in the four Stoic virtues explained.
Practice it: When facing a choice, ask which option a wise, brave, just, and moderate person would take.
3. Live According to Nature
Zeno taught that the goal of life is living in agreement with nature, which for humans means using reason and cooperating with others. It is not a call to live in the woods, but to act as a rational, social being.
Practice it: Before acting, ask if the choice is reasonable and if it serves more than yourself.
4. Emotions Follow Judgments
Epictetus taught that people are disturbed not by things but by their opinions about things.
The Stoics described a moment between an impression and our assent to it, and in that moment we can question the judgment.
This idea later inspired cognitive therapy, as discussed in the Stoic roots of modern therapy.
Practice it: When upset, name the judgment behind the feeling, such as “This is unfair,” and test if it is accurate.
5. Preferred and Dispreferred Indifferents
Health, wealth, and reputation are “preferred indifferents”: reasonable to pursue, but not required for a good life.
Illness and poverty are “dispreferred,” worth avoiding, yet they cannot destroy virtue. This principle frees people from staking their happiness on things that can be lost.
Practice it: Pursue goals wholeheartedly, but define success by how you act, not only by the outcome.
6. Amor Fati: Love Your Fate
Epictetus advised wishing for events to happen as they actually do, and Marcus Aurelius urged welcoming whatever comes.
The Latin phrase amor fati was later popularized by Friedrich Nietzsche, but the attitude is deeply Stoic. It is acceptance with energy, not resignation.
Practice it: When plans fall through, ask what this situation now makes possible.
7. Memento Mori: Remember You Will Die
Marcus Aurelius reminded himself that life is short and could end at any moment, not to inspire fear but to sharpen priorities.
Seneca similarly urged readers to live each day as if it were complete in itself.
Practice it: Ask, “If this were my last week, would I spend today this way?”
8. Impermanence
Marcus Aurelius compared time to a river of passing events, where each thing is swept away as soon as it appears.
Seeing everything as temporary softens both clinging to good times and despair in bad ones. This view also supports attention to the present moment.
Practice it: In a difficult moment, remind yourself, “This too is passing.”
9. Cosmopolitanism and Shared Humanity
The Stoics saw all people as citizens of one world community, bound by shared reason.
Marcus Aurelius wrote that humans are made for cooperation, like the two hands or the rows of teeth. This principle underpins Stoic justice and care for others, explored in relationships through Stoic eyes.
Practice it: When someone frustrates you, remember they share the same struggles and capacity for reason.
10. The Obstacle Is the Way
Marcus Aurelius observed that what stands in the way can become the way, since obstacles give us chances to practice virtue.
A difficult colleague becomes practice in patience, and a setback becomes practice in courage. This idea fuels the resilience described in mental strength under pressure.
Practice it: Name one current obstacle and the virtue it lets you practice.
How the Principles Work Together
The principles form a connected system: the dichotomy of control tells you where to direct effort, virtue tells you how to act, and the judgment principle keeps your emotions accurate.
Memento mori and impermanence add urgency and perspective, while cosmopolitanism keeps Stoicism from becoming self-centered.
Practiced together, they aim at apatheia, freedom from destructive passions, which the Stoics saw as compatible with joy, love, and good feelings.
Applying Stoic Principles Today
| Situation | Principle | Stoic Response |
|---|---|---|
| Traffic jam | Dichotomy of control | Use the time for a podcast instead of fuming |
| Harsh criticism | Emotions follow judgments | Ask what is true in it and what is only opinion |
| Job loss | Amor fati | Look for the opportunity the change creates |
| Busy, distracted week | Memento mori | Choose what truly matters today |
| Rude colleague | Cosmopolitanism | Respond with patience, remembering shared humanity |
| Failed project | The obstacle is the way | Treat it as practice in perseverance |
Common Misreadings
- Control does not mean passivity: The Stoics acted energetically on what they could influence, including politics and justice.
- Acceptance does not mean approval: You can accept that injustice happened and still work to fix it.
- Indifferents do not mean indifference: Stoics cared about health, family, and community; they simply ranked character higher.
More misunderstandings are corrected in what Stoicism really isn’t.
How to Start Living by These Principles
Choose one principle a week, write it on a card, and look for chances to apply it.
Each evening, note one moment you practiced it and one moment you forgot.
Short daily reminders from the Stoics themselves help, as collected in Stoic quotes for daily life.
The principles also pair well with naming your own guiding principles.
In my observation, the dichotomy of control alone, practiced honestly for a month, changes how most people experience stress.
Conclusion
The colleague who earned the promotion did not have special luck; she applied a two-thousand-year-old principle to an ordinary setback.
The principles of Stoicism, from the dichotomy of control to memento mori and the obstacle as the way, offer a practical guide to living well.
They work best when practiced daily, one at a time, in ordinary situations.
This week, before each stressful moment, ask the first Stoic question: “What here is within my control?”
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the main principles of Stoicism?
Core principles include the dichotomy of control, virtue as the only good, living according to nature, emotions following judgments, amor fati, and memento mori.
What is the dichotomy of control?
It is Epictetus’s teaching that some things, such as our judgments and actions, are within our power, while others, such as outcomes and reputation, are not.
What does memento mori mean?
It is Latin for “remember that you will die,” a Stoic reminder to live with purpose and not waste time on trivial things.
What does amor fati mean?
It means “love of fate,” the attitude of accepting and even welcoming whatever happens, an idea rooted in Stoicism and later named by Nietzsche.
Pious Clements writes about character, conduct, and the deeper questions of how a life is lived. He is the founder of The Conducts of Life, a site built on the belief that how you behave, not what you achieve, defines who you are. His writing draws from decades of observation, lived experience, and serious thinking about human nature, ethics, and self-development. He writes to be useful, not popular.