Epictetus Quotes

I must be exiled; but is there anything to keep me from going with a smile, calm and self-composed?

When we are guests at a dinner party, we content ourselves with the food on offer; if anyone were to tell the host to put out fish or cake, he would seem rude. In real life, however, we ask the gods for what they do not give, and this though they have provided us with plenty.

Philosophy’s purpose is to illuminate the ways our soul has been infected by unsound beliefs, untrained tumultuous desires, and dubious life choices and preferences that are unworthy of us. Self-scrutiny applied with kindness is the main antidote.

When a young man was boasting in the theater and saying, I am wise, for I have conversed with many wise men; Epictetus said, I also have conversed with many rich men, but I am not rich.

It is the mark of a cude disposition to spend most of one's time on bodily functions such as exercise, eating, drinking, defecating and copulating. These are the things to be done just incidentally. All your attention should be on your mind.

It isn’t events themselves that disturb people, but only their judgements about them.

Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.

Loss and sorrow are only possible with respect to things we own.

حين يُقاخِرٌ شخصٌ بأَنَّهُ يستطيع أن يفهم كتابات كريسبوس ويفسرها، فقل لنفسك: «لو لم تكن كتابات كريسبوس غامضة لما وجد هذا الشخص ما يفتخر به. ولكن ماذا أريد أنا؟ أريد أن أفهم الطبيعة وأتّبعها؛ لذا أتساءل من الذي يفسّر الطبيعة، وأسمع أن كريسبوس يفسرها، فألجأ إليه، فلا أفهم كتاباته, فألتمس من يفسرها.» ليس ثمة حتى الآن ما يدعو إلى الفخر. ولكن عندما أعثر على المفسر يبقى أن أعمل بالتعاليم.
هذا وحده هو مدعاة الفخر، أما إذا أعجبت بمجرد التفسير فلن أعدو أن أكون لغويا لا فيلسوفا، اللهم إلا أنني بدلا من أن أفسّر هومر أفسّر كريسبوس. إذا طلب مني أحدٌ إذن أن أقرأ له كريسبوس، فإنني أحمرٌ خجلا إذا فشلت في أن تكون أفعالي متناغمة مع كتاباته.

If someone tried to take control of your body and make you a slave, you would fight for freedom. Yet, how easily you hand over your mind to anyone who insults you.

Every challenge is presented to you so that you will choose love and turn away from negativity and blame.

I want to die, even though I don't have to.

It is better to die of hunger having lived without grief and fear, than to live with a troubled spirit, amid abundance

There are two things that must be rooted out in human beings - arrogant opinion and mistrust. Arrogant opinion expects that there is nothing further needed, and mistrust assumes that under the torrent of circumstance there can be no happiness.

This is the true athlete—the person in rigorous training against false impressions. Remain firm, you who suffer, don’t be kidnapped by your impressions! The struggle is great, the task divine—to gain mastery, freedom, happiness, and tranquility.