A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus, with the Encheiridion

„To hang yourself is not intolerable. When then you have the opinion that it is rational, you go and hang yourself.”

„For where the constitutions of living beings are different, there also the acts and the ends are different.”

„When you are going to take in hand any act remind yourself what kind of an act it is.”

„Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things;”

„It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition;”

„For he is free to whom everything happens according to his will, and whom no man can hinder.”

„where a man is against his will, there he is in prison. So Socrates was not in prison, for he was there willingly.”

„the matter of the art of living is each man's life.”

„we only lose those things, we have only pains about those things, which we possess.”

„It is not possible that what is by nature free can be disturbed by anything else, or hindered by any other thing than by itself. But it is a man's own opinions which disturb him.”

„Education is the learning how to adapt the natural præcognitions to the particular things conformably to nature; and then to distinguish that of things some are in our power, but others are not. In our power are will and all acts which depend on the will; things not in our power are the body, the parts of the body, possessions, parents, brothers, children, country, and, generally, all with whom we live in society.”

„It is circumstances (difficulties) which show what men are.”

„remember this general truth, that it is we who squeeze ourselves, who put ourselves in straits; that is, our opinions squeeze us and put us in straits.”

„we choose to practise and study anything rather than the means by which we shall be unimpeded and free.”

„Appearances are to us in four ways. For either things appear as they are; or they are not, and do not even appear to be; or they are, and do not appear to be; or they are not, and yet appear to be.”

„When then any man assents to that which is false, be assured that he did not intend to assent to it as false, for every soul is unwillingly deprived of the truth, as Plato says; but the falsity seemed to him to be true.”

„no man is damaged by an action which is not his own.”

„Whoever then wishes to be free let him neither wish for anything nor avoid anything which depends on others: if he does not observe this rule, he must be a slave.”

„nothing else can conquer will except the will itself.”

„the superior shall always overpower the inferior. In what? In that in which it is superior.”

„man is an animal that loves contemplation.”

„Man is not the master of man; but death is, and life and pleasure and pain;”

„if the bad consists in the bad exercise of the will, caution ought only to be used where things are dependent on the will. But if things independent of the will and not in our power are nothing to us, with respect to these we must employ confidence; and thus we shall both be cautious and confident, and indeed confident because of our caution.”

„death or pain is not formidable, but the fear of pain or death.”

„No one then who lives in error is free.”

„whoever is delivered from sorrows and fears and perturbations, he is at the same time also delivered from servitude.”

„in what does not belong to you call nothing either good or bad, or profit or damage or anything of the kind.”

„I am not an immortal being, but a man, a part of the whole, as an hour is a part of the day: I must be present like the hour, and past like the hour.”

„The hypothetical proposition is indifferent: the judgment about it is not indifferent, but it is either knowledge or opinion or error. Thus life is indifferent: the use is not indifferent.”

„Always remember what is your own, and what belongs to another; and you will not be disturbed.”

„The beginning of philosophy, to him at least who enters on it in the right way and by the door is a consciousness of his own weakness and inability about necessary things;”

„every art has a certain strength and confidence in the things which belong to it.”

„you can neither persuade nor break a fool.”

„it is impossible for a man to begin to learn that which he thinks that he knows.”

„Every habit and faculty is maintained and increased by the corresponding actions: the habit of walking by walking, the habit of running by running. If you would be a good reader, read; if a writer, write. But when you shall not have read for thirty days in succession, but have done something else, you will know the consequence. In the same way, if you shall have lain down ten days, get up and attempt to make a long walk, and you will see how your legs are weakened. Generally then if you would make anything a habit, do it; if you would not make it a habit, do not do it, but accustom yourself to do something else in place of it.”

„Whoever then understands what is good can also know how to love; but he who cannot distinguish good from bad, and things which are neither good nor bad from both, how can he possess the power of loving? To love, then, is only in the power of the wise. For universally, be not deceived, every animal is attached to nothing so much as to its own interests.”

„the ruling principle of a bad man cannot be trusted; it is insecure, has no certain rule by which it is directed, and is overpowered at different times by different appearances.”

„a man is not shown by the finger, as a stone or a piece of wood; but when any person shows the man's principles, then he shows him as a man.”

„Do not then mix things which are different, and do not expect, when you are laboring at one thing to make progress in another.”

„to every man the cause of his acting is opinion.”

„The physician will hinder you from drinking; but he cannot prevent you from bearing thirst well: and he will hinder you from eating; but he cannot prevent you from bearing hunger well.”

„it is not the sight of a human creature which removes us from solitude, but the sight of one who is faithful and modest and helpful to us.”

„a man ought to be prepared in a manner for this also (being alone), to be able to be sufficient for himself and to be his own companion.”

„Practise sometimes a way of living like a person out of health that you may at some time live like a man in health.”

„If you tell me that you can kick violently, I also will say to you, that you are proud of that which is the act of an ass.”

„In every act consider what precedes and what follows, and then proceed to the act. If you do not consider, you will at first begin with spirit, since you have not thought at all of the things which follow; but afterwards when some consequences have shown themselves, you will basely desist (from that which you have begun).”

„Man, consider first what the matter is (which you propose to do), then your own nature also, what it is able to bear. If you are a wrestler, look at your shoulders, your thighs, your loins: for different men are naturally formed for different things.”

„If a man has frequent intercourse with others either for talk, or drinking together, or generally for social purposes, he must either become like them, or change them to his own fashion.”

„fly from your former habits, fly from the common sort, if you intend ever to begin to be something.”

„the superior has an advantage over the inferior in that in which he is superior.”

„we must not get rid of poverty, but of the opinion about poverty, and then we shall be happy.”

„For if death is an evil, whether men die altogether, or if they die singly, it is equally an evil.”

„Let not that which in another is contrary to nature be an evil to you; for you are not formed by nature to be depressed with others nor to be unhappy with others, but to be happy with them. If a man is unhappy, remember that his unhappiness is his own fault; for God has made all men to be happy, to be free from perturbations.”

„Know you not that a good man does nothing for the sake of appearance, but for the sake of doing right?”

„being now your duty to undertake the work of a man, do you still want nurses also and a mamma, and do foolish women by their weeping move you and make you effeminate? Will you thus never cease to be a foolish child? know you not that he who does the acts of a child, the older he is, the more ridiculous he is?”

„at the times when you are delighted with a thing, place before yourself the contrary appearances.”

„Shall I then no longer exist? You will not exist, but you will be something else, of which the world now has need; for you also came into existence not when you chose, but when the world had need of you.”

„not in word, but in deed you are performing the acts of a wise and good man.”

„See that you fear without reason, that you foolishly desire what you do desire; seek not the good in things external; seek it in yourselves: if you do not, you will not find it.”

„it is not shameful to be without something to eat, but not to have reason sufficient for keeping away fear and sorrow.”

„we must not shrink when we are engaged in the greatest combat, but we must even take blows.”

„He is free who lives as he wishes to live; who is neither subject to compulsion nor to hindrance, nor to force; whose movements to action are not impeded, whose desires attain their purpose, and who does not fall into that which he would avoid.”

„Is it possible that he who desires any of the things which depend on others can be free from hindrance? No. Is it possible for him to be unimpeded? No. Therefore he cannot be free.”

„freedom is acquired not by the full possession of the things which are desired, but by removing the desire.”

„no man has in his power another man's ruling principle.”

„an act of injustice is a great harm to him who does it.”

„no other artisan cares for the opinion of those who know not his art.”

„nothing else than his opinions makes a man's soul impregnable.”

„What then do you wish to be doing when you are found by death? I, for my part, would wish to be found doing something which belongs to a man, beneficent, suitable to the general interest, noble. But if I cannot be found doing things so great, I would be found doing at least that which I cannot be hindered from doing, that which is permitted me to do, correcting myself, cultivating the faculty which makes use of appearances, laboring at freedom from the affects (laboring at tranquillity of mind); rendering to the relations of life their due.”

„when you have let your mind loose, it is no longer in your power to recall it, either to propriety, or to modesty, or to moderation; but you do everything that comes into your mind in obedience to your inclinations.”

„If it is good to use attention tomorrow, how much better is it to do so today? if tomorrow it is in your interest to attend, much more is it today, that you may be able to do so tomorrow also, and may not defer it again to the third day.”

„Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.”

„if the nature of the good is in our power, neither envy nor jealousy will have a place in us. But you yourself will not wish to be a general or senator or consul, but a free man: and there is only one way to this, to despise (care not for) the things which are not in our power.”

„Remember that it is not he who reviles you or strikes you, who insults you, but it is your opinion about these things as being insulting. When then a man irritates you, you must know that it is your own opinion which has irritated you. Therefore especially try not to be carried away by the appearance. For if you once gain time and delay, you will more easily master yourself.”

„Let death and exile and every other thing which appears dreadful be daily before your eyes; but most of all death: and you will never think of anything mean nor will you desire anything extravagantly.”

„different men are formed by nature for different things.”

„another will not damage you, unless you choose: but you will be damaged then when you shall think that you are damaged.”

„every animal is formed by nature to this, to fly from and to turn from the things which appear harmful and the things which are the cause of the harm, but to follow and admire the things which are useful and the causes of the useful.”

„if you should happen to be confined to the company of strangers, be silent.”

„Refuse altogether to take an oath, if it is possible; if it is not, refuse as far as you are able.”

„If a man has reported to you, that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make any defence (answer) to what has been told you; but reply, The man did not know the rest of my faults, for he would not have mentioned these only.”

„In company take care not to speak much and excessively about your own acts or dangers; for as it is pleasant to you to make mention of your own dangers, it is not so pleasant to others to hear what has happened to you.”

„If you have received the impression of any pleasure, guard yourself against being carried away by it; but let the thing wait for you, and allow yourself a certain delay on your own part.”

„When you have decided that a thing ought to be done, and are doing it, never avoid being seen doing it, though the many shall form an unfavorable opinion about it. For if it is not right to do it, avoid doing the thing; but if it is right, why are you afraid of those who shall find fault wrongly?”

„If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this manner in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.”

„When any person treats you ill or speaks ill of you, remember that he does this or says this because he thinks that it is his duty. It is not possible then for him to follow that which seems right to you, but that which seems right to himself. Accordingly if he is wrong in his opinion, he is the person who is hurt, for he is the person who has been deceived; for if a man shall suppose the true conjunction to be false, it is not the conjunction which is hindered, but the man who has been deceived about it. If you proceed then from these opinions, you will be mild in temper to him who reviles you; for say on each occasion, It seemed so to him.”

„These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you; I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better than you. On the contrary, these rather cohere: I am richer than you, therefore my possessions are greater than yours; I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is superior to yours. But you are neither possession nor speech.”

„if you ever wish to exercise yourself in labor and endurance, do it for yourself, and not for others.”