The Practicing Stoic: A Philosophical User's Manual

by Ward Farnsworth

Students of Stoicism are therefore advised not to do a lot of talking about it. Learning should be shown, not said. Epictetus: Never call yourself a philosopher, and don’t talk much among laymen about philosophical principles, but act according to them. . . . And if you should come upon a discussion among laymen about some philosophical principle, keep silent for the most part; for there is great danger that you will immediately vomit up what you have not digested. And when someone says to you that you know nothing, and you’re not stung by the taunt, know then that you are making headway. Sheep don’t throw up their grass to show the shepherd how much they have eaten; after digesting the grass inside, they bear wool and milk outside. So for you, too: don’t display your learning to the uninstructed: display the actions that result from the digestion of it. Epictetus, Enchiridion 46