Epictetus

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Pamukkale (formerly Hierapolis, Phrygia), Turkey

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Philosophy

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Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was probably born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey), and lived in Rome until his exile to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece, where he lived most of his life and died. His teachings were noted down and published by his pupil Arrian in his Discourses. Philosophy, he taught, is a way of life and not just a theoretical discipline. To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or...more

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Books by Epictetus

Average rating: 4.12 · 1,708 ratings · 185 reviews · 96 distinct works

	The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness by Epictetus, Sharon Lebell (Retold by) 4.17 avg rating — 812 ratings — published 125 — 66 editions	My rating:
	The Discourses of Epictetus 4.15 avg rating — 287 ratings — published 1865 — 45 editions	My rating:
	Handbook of Epictetus by Epictetus, Nicholas P. White 3.90 avg rating — 230 ratings — published 100	My rating:
	Discourses and Selected Writings by Epictetus, Robert Dobbin (Annotations) 4.31 avg rating — 88 ratings — published 1999 — 2 editions	My rating:
	The Golden Sayings of Epictetus 3.81 avg rating — 64 ratings — 24 editions	My rating:
	Discourses, Books 1-2 by Epictetus, W.A. Oldfather (Translator) 4.30 avg rating — 40 ratings — 3 editions	My rating:
	Discourses, Books 3-4. The Encheiridion. (Loeb Classical Library No. 218) by Epictetus, W.A. Oldfather (Translator) 4.09 avg rating — 32 ratings — published 1928 — 4 editions	My rating:
	The Apology, Phaedo & Crito of Plato/Golden Sayings of Epictetus/Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (Harvard Classics, #2) by Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Plato 3.86 avg rating — 37 ratings — published 2004 — 3 editions	My rating:
	Enchiridion and Selections from the Discourses of Epictetus by Epictetus, George Long (Translator) 4.08 avg rating — 24 ratings — published 2004 — 18 editions	My rating:
	Epictetus: Discourses and Enchiridion 4.00 avg rating — 18 ratings — published 1944 — 6 editions	My rating:

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Quotes by Epictetus

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. ”
― Epictetus

tags: happiness , way-to-be

130 people liked it

“If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, "He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”
― Epictetus

tags: history , humility , philosophy

97 people liked it

“Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
― Epictetus

tags: philosophers , philosophy

84 people liked it

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Epictetus

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Books by Epictetus