Zeno of Citium

We know very little of his life, mainly anecdotal stories.

Zeno of Citium was supposed to have been born into a merchant family, and he himself was a merchant until he was 42. According to Diogenes Laertius, at that time a shipwreck at sea caused Zeno to lose everything. When he was wondering what to do with his life, he came across a book by Socrates. So he asked a bookseller where he could learn something similar, and he recommended the philosopher Crates of Thebes, who became his teacher. His philosophy of self-control was very influential in Rome and in early Christianity. Stoicism was also embraced by many people in modern times. Unlike the Cynics, who lived on the margins of society, the Stoics recognized the social nature of man and emphasized bravery, responsibility, and other civic virtues.

Zeno of Citium was known as a thin, dark-skinned man who surrounded himself with beggars. Despite this, he was held in high esteem by the people.

The story of Zeno's death is that he left his house as an old man, tripped and broke his thumb. He turned to heaven, quoting the words of the unfortunate Niobe: "I'm coming, why do you still call me?" and hanged himself.

Only fragments of Zeno's work have survived. His most famous work is called "On the Village". It was apparently a utopia about a village of rational people, where there is no money, no temples, no courts, because rational people don't need them and are guided only by their reason.

The moon crater Zeno is named after him.