Epictetus Quotes
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Inner peace begins when we stop saying of things, 'I have lost it' and instead say, 'It has been returned to where it came from.' Why should it be any concern of yours who gives your things back to the world that gave them to you? The important thing is to take great care with what you have while the world lets you have it.
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It is my business, to manage carefully and dexterously whatever happens.
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Give me by all means the shorter and nobler life, instead of one that is longer but of less account!
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If you do not wish to be prone to anger, do not feed the habit; give it nothing which may tend to its increase. At first, keep quiet and count the days when you were not angry: "I used to be angry every day, then every other day: next, every two, then every three days!" and if you succeed in passing thirty days, sacrifice to the gods in thanksgiving.
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If a man would pursue Philosophy, his first task is to throw away conceit. For it is impossible for a man to begin to learn what he has a conceit that he already knows.
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Everything has two handles, one by which it may be borne, the other by which it may not. If your brother sin against you lay not hold of it by the handle of his injustice, for by that it may not be borne: but rather by this, that he is your brother, the comrade of your youth; and thus you will lay hold on it so that it may be borne. (174).
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A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off. You also must show the unlearned man the truth, and you will see that he will follow. But so long as you do not show it him, you should not mock, but rather feel your own incapacity.
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Do not strive for things occurring to occur as you wish, but wish the things occurring as they occur, and you will flow well.
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It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.
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You ought to choose both physician and friend, not the most agreeable, but the most useful.
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First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.
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There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.
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On the occasion of every accident that befalls you, remember to turn to yourself and inquire what power you have for turning it to use.
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Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.
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The best place to get help is from yourself.
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You are but an appearance, and not absolutely the thing you appear to be.
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It is unreasonable to think we can earn rewards without being willing to pay their true price. It is always our choice whether or not we wish to pay the price for life's rewards.
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When therefore we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved, let us never attribute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own principles. An uninstructed person will lay the fault of his own bad condition upon others. Someone just starting instruction will lay the fault on himself. Some who is perfectly instructed will place blame neither on others nor on himself.
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Seemeth it nothing to you, never to accuse, never to blame either God or Man? to wear ever the same countenance in going forth as in coming in? This was the secret of Socrates: yet he never said that he knew or taught anything... Who amongst you makes this his aim? Were it indeed so, you would gladly endure sickness, hunger, aye, death itself. (85).
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If a man is unhappy, remember that his unhappiness is his own fault, for God made all men to be happy.
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Do not so much be ashamed of that disgrace which proceeds from men's opinion as fly from that which comes from the truth.
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Not things, but opinions about things, trouble men.
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Do you know that disease and death must needs overtake us, no matter what we are doing?... what do you wish to be doing when it overtakes you?... If you have anything better to be doing when you are so overtaken, get to work on that.
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What hurts this person is not the occurrence itself, for another person might not feel oppressed by this situation at all. What is hurting this person is the response he or she has uncritically adopted. It is not a demonstration of kindness or friendship to the people we care about to join them in indulging in wrongheaded, negative feelings.