Zeno of Citium

Zeno of Citium (The Stoic) (333-264 BC) was a Hellenistic philosopher from Citium[?], Cyprus (then a Hellenic[?] colony). Zeno was the son of a merchant and a student of Crates of Thebes. Zeno was, himself, a merchant until the age of 42, when he started a school. Named for his teaching platform, the Painted Porch ("stoa" is Greek for "porch"), his teachings were the beginning of Stoicism. None of Zeno's works have survived; he is believed to have taught that tranquility can best be reached via indifference to pleasure and pain.

Quotes Attributed to Zeno of Citium

• "Steel your sensibilites, so that life shall hurt you as little as possible."