Diogenes Laërtius · fl. 3rd century CE
Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.96 — Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Translation by R. D. Hicks (1925)
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.96
Reported speech · Diogenes Laërtius on the Stoics
Similarly of things evil some are mental evils, namely, vices and vicious actions; others are outward evils, as to have a foolish country or a foolish friend and the unhappiness of such; other evils again are neither mental nor outward, e.g. to be yourself bad and unhappy. Again, goods are either of the nature of ends or they are the means to these ends, or they are at the same time end and means. A friend and the advantages derived from him are means to good, whereas confidence, high - spirit, liberty, delight, gladness, freedom from pain, and every virtuous act are of the nature of ends.
Cite this passage
Diogenes Laërtius, Lives of Eminent Philosophers 7.96 (on the Stoics), tr. R. D. Hicks (1925)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/lives-of-the-stoics/7.96
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 notesEvils are sorted the same way as goods: of the mind, outward, or being bad and unhappy yourself. Goods are either ends valued for themselves, means to those ends, or both. Friends are means, while confidence, freedom, delight and freedom from pain are ends. Doctrinal classification.
Older wording
- “of the nature of ends”
- — valued for their own sake, not for what they lead to
- “means”
- — things valued for what they lead to
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Freedom
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