Zeno of Cyprus, it became the foundation of his life's work and legacy. The once wealthy merchant lost everything when he was shipwrecked in Athens around 300 BCE. With not much else to do, he wandered into a book shop, became intrigued by reading about Socrates, and proceeded to seek out and study with the city's noted philosophers. As Zeno began educating his own students, he originated the philosophy knows as Stoicism, whose teaching of virtue, tolerance and self-control have inspired generations of thinkers and leaders. The name Stoicism comes from the Stoa Poikile, the decorated public colonnade where Zeno and his disciples gathered for discussion. Today, we colloquially use the word stoic to mean someone who remains calm under pressure and avoid emotional extremes. But while this captures important aspects of Stoicism, the original philosophy was more than just an attitude. The Stoics believed that everything around us operates according to a web of cause and eff...