Discourses by Epictetus
Three Point Summary | The Power of Stoicism
“Never identify yourself as a philosopher or speak much to non-philosophers about your principles; act in line with those principles.”
—Epictetus (AD 50-135)
Epictetus was a Stoic philosopher born into slavery in western Turkey. He was eventually freed and lived in Rome until the emperor banned all philosophers from the city. The ancient man then lived out his days in Greece.
The following is a collection of Epictetus’ best sayings, split into three parts by theme:
Maxims
The Mind
Relations
I. Maxims
“If you are ever tempted to look for outside approval, realize that you have compromised your integrity.”
“Many people who appear to be in dire circumstances are actually happy provided they deal with their situation bravely; others, regardless of how many possessions they have, are miserable, because they do not know how to use the gifts of fortune wisely.”
“Being attached to many things, we are weighed down and dragged along with them.”
“Drop this readiness to hate and take offence. Who are you to use those common curses, like ‘These damned fools,’ etc.? Let them be. Since when are you so intelligent as to go around correcting other people’s mistakes?”
“No, I cannot escape death, but at least I can escape the fear of it – or do I have to die moaning and groaning too?”
“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.”
“Keep the prospect of death, exile and all such apparent tragedies before you every day – especially death – and you will never have an abject thought, or desire anything to excess.”
II. The Mind
“For what does reason purport to do? Establish what is true, eliminate what is false and suspend judgement in doubtful cases.”
“The first thing a pretender to philosophy must do is get rid of their presuppositions; a person is not going to undertake to learn anything that they think they already know.”
“Continue to look outside yourself for happiness, fated never to find it. And that is because you look for it in the wrong place, forgetting to look where it really lies.”
“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.”
“If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation.”
III. Relations
“The rational animal, man, incapable of attaining any of his private ends without at the same time providing for the community.”
“If you didn’t learn these things in order to demonstrate them in practice, what did you learn them for?”
“Who exactly are these people that you want to be admired by? Aren’t they the same people you are in the habit of calling crazy? And is this your life ambition, then – to win the approval of lunatics?”
“It is a universal law – have no illusions – that every creature alive is attached to nothing so much as to its own self-interest.”
“It is inevitable if you enter into relations with people on a regular basis, either for conversation, dining or simple friendship, that you will grow to be like them…”
“Just because you are so stupid as to suppose that everyone you meet is your friend, why expect me to do likewise?”
“You should be especially careful when associating with one of your former friends or acquaintances not to sink to their level; otherwise you will lose yourself…or you can become one of the degenerates – do as they do and indulge your every impulse and desire.”
“If you commit to philosophy, be prepared at once to be laughed at and made the butt of many snide remarks, like, ‘Suddenly there’s a philosopher among us!’ and ‘What makes him so pretentious now?’ Only don’t be pretentious: just stick to your principles as if God had made you accept the role of philosopher. And rest assured that, if you remain true to them, the same people who made fun of you will come to admire you in time; if you let these people dissuade you from your choice, you will earn their derision twice over.”
“Another person will not hurt you without your cooperation; you are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be.”
“Let silence be your goal for the most part; say only what is necessary, and be brief about it.”
“In your conversation, don’t dwell at excessive length on your own deeds or adventures. Just because you enjoy recounting your exploits doesn’t mean that others derive the same pleasure from hearing about them.”
“Whatever your mission, stick by it as if it were a law and you would be committing sacrilege to betray it. Pay no attention to whatever people might say; this no longer should influence you.”
“If conversation turns to a philosophical topic, keep silent for the most part, since you run the risk of spewing forth a lot of ill-digested information. If your silence is taken for ignorance, but it doesn’t upset you – well, that’s the real sign that you have begun to be a philosopher.”
Bonus: Epictetus Telling You To Wake Up
“Devote the rest of your life to making progress.”
“How long will you wait before you demand the best of yourself?”
This book is among the most inspiring I’ve ever read. Epictetus’ maxims are profound. While much of it is simple and straightforward, some of the deepest wisdom often is.
Something about it being taught thousands of years ago makes it even more special.