The Goal Of Life Is Living

The goal of life as "living in agreement with nature" (homologoumenos tei physei zen) is the foundational principle of Stoic ethics, attributed to Zeno of Citium by Diogenes Laertius (Book VII.87). For Zeno, "nature" here means above all human rational nature — since reason is the highest feature of human beings, living according to nature means living according to reason. Later Stoics refined the formula: Marcus Aurelius added that one's individual nature must also be understood as part of universal Nature, so living naturally also means accepting one's place in the cosmic order.