Discourses and Selected Writings (Classics)

by Epictetus

Reason is unique among the faculties assigned to us in being able to evaluate itself – what it is, what it is capable of, how valuable it is – in addition to passing judgement on others.

Make the best use of what is in our power, and treat the rest in accordance with its nature. And what is its nature? However God decides.

‘Must I be beheaded now, and alone?’ Well, do you want everyone to be beheaded just because misery loves company?

I must die. But must I die bawling? I must be put in chains – but moaning and groaning too? I must be exiled; but is there anything to keep me from going with a smile, calm and self-composed?

Man, the rational animal, can put up with anything except what seems to him irrational; whatever is rational is tolerable.

Consider at what price you sell your integrity; but please, for God’s sake, don’t sell it cheap.

Epictetus will not be better than Socrates. But if I am no worse, I am satisfied.

Don’t put your purpose in one place and expect to see progress made somewhere else.

When someone caught in an argument hardens to stone, there is just no more reasoning with them.

Unless we act appropriately, methodically, and in line with our nature and constitution, we will fall short of our proper purpose.

Come to look upon and appreciate God’s works at least once before you die.

Why should I worry about what happens if I am armed with the virtue of fortitude?

You should thank the gods for making you strong enough to survive what you cannot control, and only responsible for what you can. [33] The gods have released you from accountability for your parents, your siblings, your body, your possessions – for death and for life itself. [34] They made you responsible only for what is in your power – the proper use of impressions. [35] So why take on the burden of matters which you cannot answer for? You are only making unnecessary problems for yourself.

If you must be affected by other people’s misfortunes, show them pity instead of contempt. Drop this readiness to hate and take offence.

Don’t attach such value to your clothes, and you won’t get angry with the thief who takes them.

You are invincible if nothing outside the will can disconcert you.

When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.

The true man is revealed in difficult times.

If I cherish my body, I make a slave of myself, if I cherish my property, I make a slave of myself;

Stand by a rock and insult it, and what have you accomplished? If someone responds to insult like a rock, what has the abuser gained with his invective? If, however, he has his victim’s weakness to exploit, then his efforts are worth his while.

Who is there left for me to fear, and over what has he control? Not what is in my power, because no one controls that except myself. As for what is not in my power, in that I take no interest.

Death and pain are not frightening, it’s the fear of pain and death we need to fear.

Whenever externals are more important to you than your own integrity, then be prepared to serve them the remainder of your life.

What are you? A human being. If you think of yourself as a unit apart, then it is in accordance with your nature to live to old age, to be rich, and be healthy. But if your view of yourself involves being part of a whole, then, for the sake of the whole, circumstances may make it right for you to be sick, go on a dangerous journey, endure poverty, even die before your time.

Court and prison are two places, one high, the other low. Your character, however, can be kept the same in either place – if you decide it should.

Whenever I see a person suffering from nervousness, I think, well, what can he expect? If he had not set his sights on things outside man’s control, his nervousness would end at once.

And you cannot suffer for another person’s fault. So don’t worry about the behaviour of others.

If your foundation is rotten or crumbling, not a thing should be built on it,∗ and the bigger and grander you make it, the sooner it will collapse.

Put away the fear of death, and however much thunder and lightning you have to face, you will find the mind capable of remaining calm and composed regardless.

Show me someone untroubled with disturbing thoughts about illness, danger, death, exile or loss of reputation. By all the gods, I want to see a Stoic!

Speaking for myself, I hope death overtakes me when I’m occupied solely with the care of my character, in an effort to make it passionless, free, unrestricted and unrestrained.

When you find your direction, check to make sure that it is the right one.

Free is the person who lives as he wishes and cannot be coerced, impeded or compelled, whose impulses cannot be thwarted, who always gets what he desires and never has to experience what he would rather avoid.

Purify your thoughts, in case of an attachment or devotion to something that doesn’t belong to you and will hurt to have wrenched away.

Externals include the body and its members, as well as material goods. If you grow attached to any of them as if they were your own, you will incur the penalties prescribed for a thief.

Freedom is not achieved by satisfying desire, but by eliminating it.

I do not claim possession over anything that does not belong to me, not the body, not possessions, not power, not fame – nothing.

Guard what is good for you always; make wise use of material things for as long as they are granted you to enjoy, and be content with virtue exclusively. Otherwise you will meet with bad luck, disappointment and frustration at every turn.

True peace is characterized by nothing so much as steadiness and imperturbability.

Above all, nature demands that we conform and adapt our will to our idea of what’s right and useful.

We should realize that an opinion is not easily formed unless a person says and hears the same things every day and practises them in real life.

Every animal is judged better or worse based on its particular virtue or defect. Is man the only creature lacking a virtue, that we have to take account of his hair, his clothes, or his ancestry?

People with a strong physical constitution can tolerate extremes of hot and cold; people of strong mental health can handle anger, grief, joy and the other emotions.

Remember from now on whenever something tends to make you unhappy, draw on this principle: ‘This is no misfortune; but bearing with it bravely is a blessing.’

We are responsible for some things, while there are others for which we cannot be held responsible. The former include our judgement, our impulse, our desire, aversion and our mental faculties in general; the latter include the body, material possessions, our reputation, status – in a word, anything not in our power to control. [2] The former are naturally free, unconstrained and unimpeded, while the latter are frail, inferior, subject to restraint – and none of our affair.

It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them.

Don’t hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.

You will never have to experience defeat if you avoid contests whose outcome is outside your control.

Remember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it is easier to maintain control.

If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity.