For Stoics, taking risks is something that they feel we should never fear to do . . . if, that is, the risk is actually something that will help us live a more virtuous life, fulfill our potentials, or help other people. However (and this is a big however), taking unnecessary risks just to take them — or to feel brave because you’re doing dangerous things — isn’t something you’ll find in the teachings of Stoicism.
Quotes from ancient Stoic philosophers regarding taking risks in life reflect this perfectly. Never be afraid to take risks in your life if they make you a better human being, they say . . . or if those risks can protect and assist other human beings. But doing risky stuff with no purpose is just silly and reckless.
A real Stoic takes time to think about the risks they take and be rational when it comes to how necessary they are. But if a student of Stoicism decides that a risk is worth taking, they commit to the path and don’t let anything dissuade them from taking it on.
Stoic Quotes on Taking Risks from Marcus Aurelius
“It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.”
“To be like the rock that the waves keep crashing over. It stands unmoved and the raging of the sea falls still around it.”
Stoic Quotes on Taking Risks from Epictetus
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”
“You can bind up my leg, but not even Zeus has the power to break my freedom of choice.”
“Don’t explain your philosophy . . . embody it.”
Stoic Quotes on Taking Risks from Seneca
“Nothing happens to the wise man against his expectation . . . nor do all things turn out for him as he wished but as he reckoned—and above all he reckoned that something could block his plans.“
“It’s not because things are difficult that we dare not venture. It’s because we dare not venture that they are difficult.“
“No man is more unhappy than he who never faces adversity. For he is not permitted to prove himself.”