Inspiring Stoic Wisdom for Tattoos

Getting a tattoo can be a meaningful way to remind yourself of an inspirational quote or life motto. For those who follow the ancient Greek philosophy of stoicism, tattoos can serve as a constant reminder to live virtuously.

Stoicism emphasizes self-control, resilience, and acceptance of what we cannot change. In this blog post, we are going to share a list of 55 inspiring tattoo quotes.

Here are 55 stoic quotes that could make inspiring tattoo ideas:

1. “The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.” – Marcus Aurelius
2. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” – Epictetus
3. The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
4. “Do not seek for things to happen the way you want them to; rather, wish that what happens happen the way it happens.” – Epictetus
5. “If you are distressed by anything external, the pain is not due to the thing itself but to your estimate of it, and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.” – Marcus Aurelius
6. “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
7. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” – Marcus Aurelius
8. “You have power over your mind – not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
9. “Nothing happens to anybody which he is not fitted by nature to bear.” – Marcus Aurelius
10. “The first rule is to keep an untroubled spirit. The second is to look things in the face and know them for what they are.” – Marcus Aurelius
11. “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
12. “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it.” – Marcus Aurelius
13. “Do every act of your life as if it were your last.” – Marcus Aurelius
14. “Very little is needed to make a happy life.” – Marcus Aurelius
15. “The best revenge is not to be like that.” – Marcus Aurelius
16. “Our life is what our thoughts make it.” – Marcus Aurelius
17. “The only wealth which you will keep forever is the wealth you have given away.” – Marcus Aurelius
18. “Loss is nothing else but change, and change is nature’s delight.” – Marcus Aurelius
19. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” – Marcus Aurelius
20. “If it is not right, do not do it, if it is not true, do not say it.” – Marcus Aurelius
21. “The soul becomes dyed with the color of its thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
22. “Reject your sense of injury and the injury itself disappears.” – Marcus Aurelius
23. “How much more grievous are the consequences of anger than the causes of it.” – Marcus Aurelius
24. “Do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. Death stands at your elbow. Be good for something while you live and it is in your power.” – Marcus Aurelius
25. “The best revenge is not to be like that.” – Marcus Aurelius
26. “When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive—to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.” – Marcus Aurelius
27. “The happiness of your life depends upon the quality of your thoughts.” – Marcus Aurelius
28. “You have power over your mind, not outside events. Realize this and you will find strength.” – Marcus Aurelius
29. “Everything we hear is an opinion, not a fact. Everything we see is a perspective, not the truth.” ― Marcus Aurelius
30. “Dig within. Within is the wellspring of Good; and it is always ready to bubble up, if you just dig.”- Marcus Aurelius
31. “If someone is able to show me that what I think or do is not right, I will happily change, for I seek the truth, by which no one was ever truly harmed. It is the person who continues in his self-deception and ignorance who is harmed.” – Marcus Aurelius
32. “Amor fati” – Love of fate
33. “Memento mori” – Remember that you will die
34. “Eudaimonia” – Flourishing or living a life of virtue
35. “Aurea mediocritas” – The golden mean
36. “Per aspera ad astra” – Through hardships to the stars
37. “Virtue is the only good” – Zeno of Citium
38. “The obstacle is the way” – Marcus Aurelius
39. “Live according to nature” – Seneca
40. “Choose not to be harmed, and you won’t feel harmed” – Marcus Aurelius
41. “Control your perceptions, direct your actions, and grant no value to objects not under your control” – Epictetus
42. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best” – Epictetus
43. “The universe is change; our life is what our thoughts make it” – Marcus Aurelius
44. “Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.” – Epictetus
45. “He who fears death will never do anything worth of a man who is alive” – Seneca
46. “The present moment is all you ever have” – Marcus Aurelius
47. “Waste no more time arguing what a good man should be. Be one.” – Marcus Aurelius
48. “No person has the power to have everything they want, but it is in their power not to want what they don’t have, and to cheerfully put to good use what they do have.” – Seneca
49. “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” – Epictetus
50. “The art of living is more like wrestling than dancing.” – Marcus Aurelius
51. “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” – Seneca
52. “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.” – Epictetus
53. “It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare; it is because we do not dare that things are difficult.” – Seneca
54. “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.” – Epictetus
55. “The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.” – Epictetus
56. “The best revenge is not to be like your enemy.” – Marcus Aurelius

Whether you’re looking for a daily reminder to focus on what you can control or find inner resilience, these stoic quotes contain profound wisdom to inspire mindful living. A tattoo of your favorite quote could be a meaningful way to carry this timeless life guidance with you always. Check out here more inspiring quotes collections, that You May Love!