9 Stoic Quotes on Forgiveness & Compassion

  • "If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother." — Epictetus, Enchiridion 43

  • "The best revenge is not to be like that." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 6.6

  • "Whenever you are about to find fault with someone, ask yourself the following question: What fault of mine most nearly resembles the one I am about to criticize?" — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 10.30

  • "To admonish is better than to reproach for admonition is mild and friendly, but reproach is harsh and insulting; and admonition corrects those who are doing wrong, but reproach only convicts them." — Epictetus, Fragments 107

  • "Blaming others when things are going badly for him is what an uneducated person does. Blaming himself is what a partially educated person does. Blaming neither others nor himself is what a fully educated person does." — Epictetus, Enchiridion 5b

  • "If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, "He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone."" — Epictetus, Enchiridion 33.9

  • "Humans have come into being for the sake of each other, so either teach them, or learn to bear them." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 7.59

  • "Treat your inferiors in the way in which you would like to be treated by your own superiors. And whenever it strikes you how much power you have over your slave, let it also strike you that your own master has just as much power over you." — Seneca, Moral Letters 47.11

  • "And to behave in a conciliatory way when people who have angered or annoyed us want to make up." — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations 1.7