Overview
Stoicism is an ancient Greco-Roman philosophical school founded by Zeno of Citium around 300 BCE in Athens that emphasizes virtue as the highest good and advocates living in accordance with reason and nature. The philosophy teaches that tranquility and moral worth come from controlling one's judgments and accepting external events beyond personal control. It evolved through three major periods—early, middle, and late Stoicism—and influenced countless thinkers from Roman emperors to modern existentialists.