Enchiridion and Selections from the Discourses

by Epictetus, George Long (Translator)

Epictetus was an ancient Greek philosopher who lived between 55 and 135 AD and taught the philosophy of stoicism. Stoicism is the school of philosophy that teaches one to detach oneself from ones emotions so that truth may be derived from ones reason. To the stoic this detachment allows the natural law of the universe to reveal itself and harmony with the world can be achieved. This philosophy is exemplified in the "Enchiridion," which serves as a manual for the everyday practice of this philosophy. A more detailed examination of the philosophy of stoicism can be found within the discourses of Epictetus, of which a representative selection is presented here in this volume translated by George Long.

Genres: Philosophy, Classics, Nonfiction, Self Help, History, Psychology

100 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 125

About the author

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 from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness.

Other language versions:
Epictète
Epícteto
Epiktet

Reviews

[david · Rating 1 out of 5]

Faith, rather than philosophically based.

[Tg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have found Seneca to be helpful on the Emotional response to Death and Hardship,
Epictetus comes across as a Spirited Teacher--"Zeus has not made you in charge of the winds, he has charged Aeolus with that" "But Such and such gives lectures to large fawning crowds, I wish to be famous and give lectures to adoring crowds also--Wretch you cannot go about this in haphazard and random fashion, show us your governing principles as athletes are able to show their shoulders"

"I assure you I understand every-word and concept of Chrysippus--- Slave the Carpenter does not say come and hear me Philosophize on Carpentry-He draws up a contract and builds a House--So do you in life adorn yourself with dignity and self-respect, eat like a man, raise children, sleep like a man, endure insults, get married and you will deemed one worthy of entering the games....

[Cathal Kenneally · Rating 2 out of 5]

Testing

I originally downloaded this because he was recommended by a tutor from a mental health first aid course. I must have downloaded the wrong book. It's not an easy read by any stretch of the imagination.

[Klara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t agree with all chapters but here are my favorites.
Favorite chapters: 6., 7., 14. and 15.

Note: 7 days

[Antek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love stoicism

[Karol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ekpiktet reprezentuje wartościowe postawy Stoickiego myślenia. Ze zbioru tych przemyśleń można wyciągnąć fascynujące i rozwijające wnioski. To lektura która prawdziwą wartość niesie ze sposobu w który pobudza umysł czytelnika do jego własnych przemyśleń.

Oczywiście, przez te wszystkie lata niektóre z poglądów są już odległe bezpośrednich przekładni które są zawarte w tej książce.

[Christopher · Rating 3 out of 5]

You would think I would unreservedly love something this fatalistic and stylistically well crafted, but my fatalism has no room for faith. There are sections that positively bristle with quotable passages though.

[Carlota]

"Si has resuelto ir al baño público, represéntate las cosas que generalmente suceden en esos baños"

[Les Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recently, I had cause to do a rendition of Epictetus' Handbook and more recently still I posted it here: http://lesjohnsonsopenpages.blogspot.... Perhaps that will do the job. It still needs a few edits.

[Rob Roy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This volume is a dip into Greek Stoic Philosophy. While much philosophy is pretty esoteric, stoicism is down to earth how you live your life stuff. What was good advice for 100 BCE is still darn good advice.

[Dave Franklin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Encheiridion literally means "ready at hand." In short, it is a handbook. Epictetus was a man of intelligence who gained wisdom through adversity. He was born into slavery, and in his childhood, he faced both the abuse of power and human degradation.

Epictetus was born around 50 A.D. At 15 he was sold at a slave auction in Rome to Epaphroditus, a secretary to Emperor Nero. After Epaphroditus abetted Nero’s suicide, Epictetus was freed, then banished to Nicopolis.

For Epictetus philosophy was a way of life. Needless to say, Stoic discipline won only the few to its standard, but those few had inordinate influence. In theory the Stoics taught a doctrine of perfectionism. Stoicism sought to inculcate in men a yearning for a life of courage and right action. Epictetus, a great teacher, played his part in changing the thinking of right-minded Romans. And, like all great teachers, his life was his teaching: “It is no easy thing for a principle to become a man’s own, unless each day he maintain it and hear it maintained, as well as work it out in life.

Epictetus is a harsh master, and his teaching is difficult. Nonetheless, we can find much wisdom in his epigrams. He exhorts us to gainsay our fears and live with intrepidity. He tells us clearly, “The chief source of all evils to Man, and of baseness and cowardice, is not death, but the fear of death.”

[Karol Rudziński · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nie sądziłem, że taka krótka 200 stronnicowa książka zajmie mi tyle czasu. Mimo, że Diatryby tak jak i Encheiridion w większości składają sie z jednostronicowych rozmyślań/dialogów spisanych przez ucznia Epikteta, czytelnik potrzebuje czasu na przemyślenia po każdym z nich. Głównym filarem filozofii myśliciela z Hierapolis jest wolność. Według niego człowiek jest dopiero wolny kiedy uświadomi sobie, że istnieją rzeczy zależne od naszej woli takie jak pragnienia czy wyobrażenia o świecie. Niezależnymi są natomiast np. majątek czy zdrowie. Abyśmy byli naprawdę wolni powinnyśmy więc powstrzymywać o osądów na temat otaczającego nas świata. Według Epikteta śmierć sama w sobie nie jest zła ani dobra, tylko wyobrażenia na jej temat są negatywne.
Ciężko polecić taką książkę lub nie. Mogę tylko napisać, że warto było poświęcić czas na przeczytanie rozważań Epikteta.

[Kristina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kada je riječ o ljudskoj slobodi, po Epiktetu, koji je bio jedan od glavnih predstavnika stoicizma, skoro niti jedan čovjek ne bi bio slobodan. Govori o dualnosti i kontradiktornosti pojma slobode. Svakog čovjeka sačinjavaju dva dijela - onaj nad kojim nema kontrolu (sve tjelesno, materijalno, zdravlje, smrt, porodica) te onaj nad kojim ima - razum (prosudbe i ponašanje). Knjiga se sastoji od nekoliko dijaloga čije su teme pojam slobode, impresije (duševne promjene izazvane vanjskim utjecajima), impulsi (ljudske motivacije i želje), karakter, teške situacije itd.
Knjiga me potaknula na dublje promišljanje o situacijama poput smrti i bolesti, te na koji način im pristupiti u duhu stoicizma.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I only read The Encheiridion (Discourses are on the TBR list).

These are Stoic philosophy classics - companions to Marcus Aurelius's Meditations. Encheiridion translates to 'handbook' or 'manual' and, where Meditations seem to be Marcus Aurelius's notes to himself, these are more directed at an outside audience.

It's said 'The Manual' was popular among Vietnam War era soldiers and Admiral James Stockdale memorized it - a feat that served him well during his long stay at the Hanoi Hilton.

Not the most scintillating prose, but good life lessons if internalized. Will bear up under repeated reading.

[Paweł · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pierwsza część, rzeczone diatryby to zapiski z wykładów wygłaszanych przez Epikteta. Ze względu na taką formę mogą sprawiać wrażenie nieco chaotycznych i częściowo powtarzających się, ale nie jest to rażące. Oczywiście należy brać poprawkę na stan wiedzy, stosunki społeczne i uwarunkowania religijne, które panowały w II wieku n.e.
Część druga to 52 zagadnienia omówione w krótkich punktach, tworzące tzw. podręcznik. W zasadzie nie tyle omówione ile skomentowane przez Epikteta.
Dla ciekawych tematu z pewnością godne polecenia 😉

[walery · Rating 4 out of 5]

O ile początkowo język diatryb niespecjalnie do mnie przemawiał, tak w miarę czytania można się było przyzwyczaić. Encheiridion praktycznie streszcza te wcześniejsze nauki w parunastu stronach. Interesujące uzupełnienie po Rozmyślaniach Marka Aureliusza, bo Epiktet skupia się na trochę innych aspektach i w innym stylu przemawia do czytelnika.

[Kamaverba · Rating 4 out of 5]

još uvijek ne mogu skužit te stoike

[Ardianos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Świetnie napisane. Zasady umiarkowania w życiu doczesnym.

[Seneka Najmłodszy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Klasyk. Trafia do mnie idealnie.

[Denislav Vasilev · Rating 5 out of 5]

Напълно естествено поставям редом с "Към себе си" на Марк Аврелий. Една от книгите, които препрочитам почти всекидневно.

[Gundii9 · Rating 5 out of 5]

4,75. żałuję że nie przeczytałem tego wcześniej

[Brian Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Timeless wisdom from a former slave turned leading philosopher of his era.

“Of things some are in our power, and others are not… examine it by the rules which you possess, and by this first and chiefly, whether it relates to the things which are in our power or to the things which are not in our power: and if it relates to anything which is not in our power, be ready to say, that it does not concern you.”

~ Epictetus from The Enchiridion

Epictetus was born a slave in modern day Turkey in 55 AD. He later gained his freedom and became one of the leading Stoic philosophers of his era.

Practically speaking, there a number of translations of Epictetus’ Enchiridion (or Manual)—a book transcribed by one of his leading students named Arrian. I went with the classic 1888 translation by George Long. It’s a little rougher than the great modern/more readable adaptations by, say, Sharon Lebell or Gay Hendricks, but I dig it and wanted to keep it old-school.

Some of my favorite big ideas from this book include:

1. What’s Your Opinion? - It’s (very) important.
2. A Tranquil Flow of Life - Let’s get in it!
3. Act Well - The part that you got.
4. Expect To Be Ridiculed - And don’t worry about it.
5. Your Purpose In Life - What’s yours?
6. Whose Cup Broke? - Mine or yours?
7. Who’s In Your Head? - Get ‘em out!
8. Criticism - If he knew ALL my faults! :)
9. Wool & Milk - That’s what we’re after.

I’ve summarized those Big Ideas in a video review that you can watch here: https://youtu.be/cjF_N5NCz0Y?feature=...

I’ve also added The Enchiridion by Epictetus to my collection of Philosopher’s Notes--distilling the Big Ideas into 6-page PDF and 20-minute MP3s on 600+ of the BEST self-development books ever. You can get access to all of those plus a TON more over at https://heroic.us.

[Ray · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was unfamiliar with Epictetus and discovered him through a conversation with a friend about stoicism. I'd say this is a rewarding read, with some caution. For one thing, as Epictetus would say, you are not improved by the reading of this, but rather by accepting or rejecting its precepts and then putting them into practice. Also, while the stoic life seems to me to be a pretty good antidote for modern extremism and reactionary behavior, there are times when it can be taken too far. Epictetus at one point suggests that all one's energy should go to the training of the mind, and that any work put into the body is waste. I should be happy to hear this as I don't particularly work on my body like I should, but we also have to acknowledge that neglect of the body spills over into the mind. The two are connected to some degree. There is also the danger of not accepting some level of emotion as one's fate. Epictetus tells us that we should not think of our wife and children as things we own or control (true) and therefore should not be saddened if something unfortunate happens to them or they die. Well. Not sure about that. Certainly wallowing in grief is not good. But also not recognizing one's own sadness seems to be dangerous. I suppose the proper stoic attitude in such a case would be to recognize how good it was to have had the experience of their presence and to recognize that it is now over. That we didn't either truly cause it to be or cause it to no longer be, but that a wife and kids was our natural lot. That's all good. But I seem to remember choosing to have children (or at least choosing to not prevent the having of children). I suppose Epictetus would call that "moving toward a thing." :)

[Bogdan · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was the first stoic book I read and I totally get why people are drawn to stoicism. There are a few key points in the book:
- "I must die. But must I die lamenting?"
- there is will, which everyone has, and there's everything else, called "externals"
- we must learn to accept all externals as they are, and only focus on what is within our power to change i.e. our will
- we should be brave concerning externals, but cautious towards our own will
- everything that you have e.g. your titles, your possessions, your family, even your own body, was given to you and you must be ready to part with it at any moment.
- man must live in accordance to nature and accept his condition

The last point is repeated over and over in the book and is why I'm only rating it 3/5. What is "in accordance to nature"? Epictetus never bothers to explain. Also, this assumes a static world order where nothing ever changes and where every man had a clear role in society. It might have seemed right in Ancient Greece, but we know this not to be the case.

[Giovanni Generoso · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think we could all learn from the stoics. They encouraged us to attend to ourselves in a way that you simply don't see amongst most people these days. They were determined, focused, driven to formulate the self. Every experience is a learning-experience, good or bad, if only we have the will and the commitment to learn and grow. Most of us are unwilling to acknowledge our faults. We get defensive when people criticize us. The Stoics encouraged us to acknowledge where we've failed. If someone is bad-mouthing us for things we haven't done, laugh about it and move on with life. If they're right, learn from it and change. If we're worried about the future, ask, "Is any of what I'm worried about within my control?" If we can't control it, don't worry about it.

This is cognitive-behavioral therapy from the ancients, and it's pure gold, pure wisdom, pure philosophy.

[Kakyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the books that I which I read again and again, and again, and definitely will continue doing so. I have lost count how many times I read this book. It's 2016 and today I reread it again as a fresh start for my 2016.

It's short (only 100 pages) and contains dense reminder of Stoic philosophy.

Epictetus might not be as sentimental as Seneca or as outspoken as Marcus Aurelius, but his wisdom is essential to anyone who take Stoicism seriously. He was born a slave and his leg was crippled by his master, and that doesn't make him stop pursue his freedom from slavery and founded his own school. His life itself is his teachings.

Like Socrates, there's no book written by himself available, certainly this Enchiridion is not written by himself but compiled by his student (and then republished by the publisher).

[Narin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book of Stoic philosophy I was afraid to read but which has quickly won me over. Alexander Pope, in his great Essay on Man, accused the Stoics of a pride inconsistent with man's natural weakness. But pride is only pride where it overlooks faults. The Stoics, on the other hand, knew man's weakness - this is why they were Stoics. Epictetus's Enchiridion is a collection of brief meditations which belong on the bedside table of anyone seeking to lead an upright life, guided by reason, disciplined by introspection, and ruled by patience. Amor fati, memento mori, reign in your appetites, discipline your mind, and hold circumstances loosely. To live this way is not proud; it is honest. It's also probably the only way to contentment, accomplishment, and inward peace in a ruthless world. I'll be reading this again and again.

[Zora · Rating 2 out of 5]

He just would not shut up about Zeus. I felt like I was stuck in an elevator with a proselytizing christian who just would not shut up about Jesus, but it was Zeus instead. Zeus this, Zeus that, doesn't Zeus want you to be this and such? (No No, he really doesn't. Because he's imaginary!) Every other sentence was disguised as a question. "Isn't is true that ________?" And the thing represented by the blank line probably wasn't true, and he never used logic to get there, so I was pretty flipping irked at him by the time I quit. Not feeling at all stoic OR Stoic about this book, in fact.

Aurelius is good. Epicurus is next on my list. If I hear about Zeus one more time though... rrrrrr.

[Heather Pagano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very readable translation. I particularly enjoyed the introduction to this book, and I usually don't like introductions! The intro did a great job of helping me understand where Epictetus fits in the history of philosophy, and my imagination was really struck by parallels between ancient Stoicism and more modern Determinism. I think the introduction really set me up to be interested in what Epictetus had to say.

[Jon Gauthier · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a few golden nuggets of wisdom hidden within a large mass of repetition. Worth a quick skim, but don't expect anything surprising or novel Stoicism-wise: most of the points made in this book are also mentioned in the Enchiridion, Meditations, etc. If you're just jumping into Stoicism there are better books to start with (check out my "stoicism" shelf!).