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 A commonly held view about the Stoic idea of happiness – like their ethical ideas generally – is that it is idealistic but extreme, even inhuman. The Stoics claim that happiness depends entirely on ethical character or understanding and not at all on ‘external’ factors, including one’s own health or wealth and that of one’s loved ones. In this lecture, Christopher Gill looks more closely at the Stoic theory to see if it deserves the sceptical reaction it often receives. He examines the way that, according to Stoicism, happiness is based on character and understanding. He also explores the implications of Stoic thinking about personal and social development for making sense of their ideas about virtue and happiness. In effect, the Stoics see human life as a kind of ongoing journey towards perfection – a journey open to all of us – a side of the theory not always appreciated by critics of Stoicism. He concludes by suggesting that, when more fully explained, the Stoic position is more credible than some competing modern accounts of happiness, and that there may, after all, be nothing much wrong with it.