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Epictetus Quotes - Page 8

All Quotes Achievement Adversity Anger Anxiety Appearance Art Attitude Blame Business Challenges Character Children Choices Communication Confidence Contentment Cooking Death Desire Determination Difficulty Discipline Duty Dying Eating Education Effort Evil Exercise Failure Feelings Fighting Focus Food Freedom Giving God Gratitude Greatness Happiness Happy Harmony Heart Heaven Honor Hurt Inspiration Inspirational Judgement Judgment Justice Kindness Knowledge Learning Life Love Lying Money Motivational Pain Patience Philosophy Pleasure Positive Positive Thinking Power Praise Progress Purpose Reality Religion Responsibility Running Silence Sorrow Soul Suffering Time Training Tranquility Truth Understanding Victory Virtue Waiting Wife Wisdom Worry Writing

Envy is the antagonist of the fortunate.

Envy is the antagonist of the fortunate.

Envy, Antagonist, Fortunate

Epictetus (2012). “Enchiridion”, p.60, Courier Corporation

What is it to be a philosopher? Is it not to be prepared against events?

Philosophy, Events, Philosopher

Epictetus (1807). “The Works of Epictetus: Consisting of His Discourses in Four Books Preserved by Arrian, the Enchiridion, and Fragments”, p.45

Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to.

Evil, Religion, Doe

If you seek truth you will not seek victory by dishonorable means, and if you find truth you will become invincible.

Mean, Victory, Invincible

There is but one way to tranquility of mind and happiness, and that is to account no external things thine own, but to commit all to God.

Mind, Way, Tranquility

Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.

Understanding, Principles, Clear

Epictetus, Sharon Lebell (2013). “The Art of Living: The Classical Mannual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness”, p.3, Harper Collins

We all dread a bodily paralysis, and would make use of every contrivance to avoid it; but none of us is troubled about a paralysis of the soul.

Soul, Use, Dread

Epictetus (1866). “The Works of Epictetus: Consisting of His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments”, p.17

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid with regard to external things. Don't wish to be thought to know anything; and even if you appear to be somebody important to others, distrust yourself. For, it is difficult to both keep your faculty of choice in a state conformable to nature, and at the same time acquire external things. But while you are careful about the one, you must of necessity neglect the other

Stupid, Choices, Wish

Epictetus (2012). “The Handbook of Epictetus”, p.6, Simon and Schuster

What ought one to say then as each hardship comes? I was practicing for this, I was training for this.

Challenges, Training, Hardship

First tell yourself what you want to be, then do what you need to do.

Needs, Want, Firsts

You lose only the things you have

Modern, Investors, Loses

At every occasion in your life, do not forget to commune with yourself and ask of yourself how you can profit by it.

Forget, Profit, Communes

Difficulty shows what men are. Therefore when a difficulty falls upon you, remember that God, like a trainer of wrestlers, has matched you with a rough young man. Why? So that you may become an Olympic conqueror; but it is not accomplished without sweat.

Inspirational, Wisdom, Fall

Epictetus (2009). “The Enchiridion, or Handbook: With A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus”, p.41, The Floating Press

Remember that you are but an actor, acting whatever part the Master has ordained. It may be short or it may be long. If he wishes you to represent a poor man, do so heartily; if a cripple, or a magistrate, or a private man, in each case act your part with honor.

Men, Long, Honor

At this time is freedom anything but the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.

Freedom, Philosophical, Wish

"Epictetus: the Discourses as reported by Arrian, the Manual, and fragments".

God has made all men to be happy.

Happiness, Men, Made

Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (2016). “Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion”, p.313, Enhanced Media Publishing

Never call yourself a philosopher, nor talk a great deal among the unlearned about theorems, but act conformably to them. Thus, at an entertainment, don't talk how persons ought to eat, but eat as you ought. For remember that in this manner Socrates also universally avoided all ostentation.

Entertainment, Philosopher, Remember

Epictetus (2012). “The Handbook of Epictetus”, p.17, Simon and Schuster

It was the first and most striking characteristic of Socrates never to become heated in discourse, never to utter an injurious or insulting word -- on the contrary, he persistently bore insult from others and thus put an end to the fray.

Insulting, Firsts, Characteristics

Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lucius Annaeus Seneca (2016). “Stoic Six Pack: Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, Golden Sayings, Fragments and Discourses of Epictetus, Letters from a Stoic and The Enchiridion”, p.64, Enhanced Media Publishing

If someone irritates you, it is only your own response that is irritating you. Therefore, when anyone seems to be provoking you, remember that it is only your judgment of the incident that provokes you. -

Irritated, Remember, Judgment

Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet. As something is being passed around it comes to you; stretch out your hand, take a portion of it politely. It passes on; do not detain it. Or it has not come to you yet; do not project your desire to meet it, but wait until it comes in front of you. So act toward children, so toward a wife, so toward office, so toward wealth.

Life, Children, Hands

"The Enchiridion". Book translated by Elizabeth Carter, 2006.

Lampis the ship owner, on being asked how he acquired his great wealth, replied, My great wealth was acquired with no difficulty, but my small wealth, my first gains, with much labor.

Ships, Gains, Firsts

When one maintains his proper attitude in life, he does not long after externals.

Attitude, Long, Doe

Epictetus (1866). “The Works of Epictetus: Consisting of His Discourses, in Four Books, the Enchiridion, and Fragments”, p.63

Watch yourself as you go about your daily business and later reflect on what you saw, trying to identify the sources of distress in your life and thinking about how to avoid that distress.

Thinking, Trying, Watches

Seek not the good in external things;seek it in yourselves.

The origin of sorrow is this: to wish for something that does not come to pass.

Sorrow, Wish, Doe

Epictetus (1926). “Epictetus: the Discourses as reported by Arrian, the Manual, and fragments”

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