Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.104 — Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.104
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
To benefit is to set in motion or sustain in accordance with virtue; whereas to harm is to set in motion or sustain in accordance with vice. The term “indifferent” has two meanings: in the first it denotes the things which do not contribute either to happiness or to misery, as wealth, fame, health, strength, and the like; for it is possible to be happy without having these, although, if they are used in a certain way, such use of them tends to happiness or misery. In quite another sense those things are said to be indifferent which are without the power of stirring inclination or aversion; e.g. the fact that the number of hairs on one’s head is odd or even or whether you hold out your finger straight or bent. But it was not in this sense that the things mentioned above were termed indifferent, they being quite capable of exciting inclination or aversion.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.104 (on the Stoics), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.104
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 notesReal benefit means acting or sustaining something in line with virtue, and real harm means doing so in line with vice. Wealth, fame, health and strength are called indifferent because you can be happy without them, though how you use them can push you toward happiness or misery. A second kind of indifferent is trivial stuff like whether your hair count is odd or even.
Older wording
- “indifferent”
- — neither good nor bad in itself
- “inclination or aversion”
- — being drawn toward or pushed away from something
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- What is in our control
- Wealth and poverty
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