The second half of the quote protects the first from being misunderstood as mere self-help minimalism. Zeno is not saying well-being is small because the steps are small; he is saying the opposite. The destination—an ordered, resilient life—is substantial precisely because it requires continual alignment between values and actions.
In Stoic terms, well-being is tied to eudaimonia, a form of human flourishing grounded in virtue. Aristotle’s Nicomachean Ethics (c. 350 BC) also treats eudaimonia as the highest human good, though Stoics locate it more firmly in moral character than in external fortune. Either way, the achievement is “no little thing” because it represents a life that holds together under pressure. [...]
