Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.128 — Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.128
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
“For if magnanimity by itself alone can raise us far above everything, and if magnanimity is but a part of virtue, then too virtue as a whole will be sufficient in itself for well-being —despising all things that seem troublesome.” Panaetius, however, and Posidonius deny that virtue is self-sufficing: on the contrary, health is necessary, and some means of living and strength. Another tenet of theirs is the perpetual exercise of virtue, as held by Cleanthes and his followers. For virtue can never be lost, and the good man is always exercising his mind, which is perfect. Again, they say that justice, as well as law and right reason, exists by nature and not by convention: so Chrysippus in his work On the Morally Beautiful.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.128 (on the Stoics), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.128
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 notesGreatness of soul on its own can lift you above everything, so virtue as a whole is enough for a good life even while you scorn troubles. Later thinkers disagreed, holding that health, means and strength are also necessary. Virtue is practised continuously, and justice exists by nature, not convention.
Older wording
- “magnanimity”
- — greatness of soul, being above petty troubles
- “right reason”
- — reason in agreement with nature
- “convention”
- — custom or human agreement
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Resilience and endurance
- Adversity and hardship
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