Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.112 — Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.112
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Heaviness or vexation is grief which weighs us down, annoyance that which coops us up and straitens us for want of room, distress a pain brought on by anxious thought that lasts and increases, anguish painful grief, distraction irrational grief, rasping and hindering us from viewing the situation as a whole. Fear is an expectation of evil. Under fear are ranged the following emotions: terror, nervous shrinking, shame, consternation, panic, mental agony. Terror is a fear which produces fright; shame is fear of disgrace; nervous shrinking is a fear that one will have to act; consternation is fear due to a presentation of some unusual occurrence;
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.112 (on the Stoics), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.112
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers, Book VII, tr. R. D. Hicks (Loeb, 1925). Text: Perseus Digital Library (CC BY-SA 4.0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesMore kinds of distress are defined, including vexation, distress from long anxious thought and anguish that stops you seeing the whole situation. Fear is the expectation of something bad, with forms such as terror, shame (fear of disgrace) and nervous shrinking (fear that you will have to act).
Older wording
- “consternation”
- — dismay at something unexpected
- “nervous shrinking”
- — the urge to shy away from something you must do
- “straitens”
- — cramps, hems in
Themes and situations
- Fear and anxiety
- Emotions and the passions
- Grief and mourning
- Anxiety about the future
- Nerves before a big moment
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.