Life of Zeno (jan 1, 335 BC – jan 1, 262 BC)

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Zeno / Stoicism
"Zeno and his followers considered nature an expression of divine will; in their view people could be happy only when living in accordance with nature. They stressed the unity of humans and the universe, stating that all people were obliged to help one another."

"Unlike the Epicureans, the Stoics taught that people should participate in politics and worldly affairs. Yet this idea never led to the belief that individuals should try to change the order of things."

"To the Stoics, the important question was not whether they achieved anything, but whether they lived virtuous lives. The patient self-control and fortitude that the Stoics advocated made this a popular philosophy among the Romans later"

"The Stoics’ most significant intellectual achievement was the creation of the concept of natural law. They concluded that because all people were kindred, partook of divine reason, and were in harmony with the universe, one law governed them all. This law was a part of the natural order of life and applicable everywhere, not something created by individual states or rulers. Natural law was thus an abstract matter of ethics for the Stoics rather than something with direct application to the violent and chaotic world of Hellenistic political life, although philosophers thousands of years later would use it to assess and even urge revolt against governments they thought were acting against it."

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