Epictetus, a prominent Stoic philosopher from ancient Greece, left behind a wealth of wisdom through his powerful quotes. These quotes have the ability to inspire, motivate, and provide guidance for those seeking a more fulfilling life. With a focus on personal growth, resilience, and the power of the mind, Epictetus’s teachings encourage individuals to take control of their own happiness and live in accordance with nature. Through his profound insights, he reminds us of the importance of self-reflection, acceptance of the things we cannot change, and the pursuit of virtue. Epictetus’s words continue to resonate with readers today, offering timeless wisdom that can be applied to navigate the challenges and uncertainties of life.
Epictetus Quotes
‘“These are the signs of a wise man: to reprove nobody, to praise nobody, to blame nobody, nor even to speak of himself or his own merits.”’
‘“Seek not good from without; seek it within yourselves, or you will never find it.”’
‘“Freedom and happiness are won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”’
‘“Sick and yet happy, in peril and yet happy, dying and yet happy, in exile and happy, in disgrace and happy.”’
‘To live a life of virtue, match up your thoughts, words, and deeds.”’
‘“Envy is the antagonist of the fortunate.”’
‘“Don’t seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you.”’
‘“Don’t be prideful with any excellence that is not your own.”’
‘“What is it that every man seeks? To be secure, to be happy, to do what he pleases without restraint and without compulsion.”’
‘“Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control.”’
‘“We are not to lead events, but to follow them.”’
‘“No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage.”’
‘“The soul is unwillingly deprived of truth.”’
‘“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”’
‘“What disturbs and alarms man are not the things, but his opinions and fancies about the things.”’
‘We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”’
‘“Nothing great comes into being all at once.”’
‘“In order to please others, we loose our hold on our life’s purpose.”’
‘“Think of God more often than thou breathest.”’
‘“God save me from fools with a little philosophy – no one is more difficult to reach.”’
‘“Fortune is an evil chain to the body, and vice to the soul.”’
‘“No man is able to make progress when he is wavering between opposite things.”’
‘“Anything worth putting off is worth abandoning altogether.”’
‘“Don’t regard what anyone says of you, for this, after all, is no concern of yours.”’
‘“Do not wish that all things will go well with you, but that you will go well with all things.”’
‘“You may be always victorious if you will never enter into any contest where the issue does not wholly depend upon yourself.”’
‘“In short, we do not abandon any discipline for despair of ever being the best in it.”’
‘“As it is pleasant to see the sea from the land, so it is pleasant for him who has escaped from troubles to think of them.”’
‘“From now on practice saying to everything that appears unpleasant: You are merely an appearance and NOT what you appear to be.”’
‘“Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and notions which they form concerning things.”’
‘“Wherever any one is against his will, that is to him a prison.”’
‘“If any be unhappy, let him remember that he is unhappy by reason of himself alone. For God hath made all men to enjoy felicity and constancy of good.”’
‘“Don’t consent to be hurt and you won’t be hurt – this is a choice over which you have control.”’
‘“I am not eternity, but a man; a part of the whole, as an hour is of the day.”’
‘“It is not death or pain that is to be dreaded, but the fear of pain or death.”’
‘“We should not have either a blunt knife or a freedom of speech which is ill-managed.”’
‘“If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother.”’
‘“What is a child? Ignorance. What is a child? Want of instruction.”’
‘“Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit.”’
‘“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.”’
‘“The universe is but one great city, full of beloved ones, divine and human, by nature endeared to each other.”’
‘“It is better to die of hunger having lived without grief and fear, than to live with a troubled spirit, amid abundance.”’
‘“Every place is safe to him who lives with justice.”’
‘“If you seek truth you will not seek victory by dishonorable means, and if you find truth you will become invincible.”’
‘“Nothing is in reality either pleasant or unpleasant by nature but all things become so through habit.”’,
‘“Pain or pleasure? I say pleasure.”’
‘“Ruin and recovering are both from within.”’
‘“You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not.”’
‘“The origin of sorrow is this: to wish for something that does not come to pass.”’
‘“Restrict yourself to choice and refusal; and exercise them carefully, with discipline and detachment.”’
‘“By accepting life’s limits and inevitabilities and working with them rather than fighting them, we become free.”’,
‘“Silence is safer than speech.”’
‘“Have the wisdom to know what cannot be changed, and the strength to change what can.”’
‘“If you see anybody wail and complain, call him a slave, though he be clad in purple.”’
‘“It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”’
‘“Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them.”’
‘“When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.”’
‘“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.”’
‘“Everything has two handles,-one by which it may be borne; another by which it cannot.”’
‘“Men are not worried by things, but by their ideas about things. When we meet with difficulties, become anxious or troubled, let us not blame others, but rather ourselves. That is: our ideas about things.”’
‘“A thing either is what it appears to be; or it is not, but yet appears to be; or it is, but does not appear to be; or it is not, and does not appear to be.”’
‘“Why, do you not know, then, that the origin of all human evils, and of baseness, and cowardice, is not death, but rather the fear of death?”’
‘“I am always content with what happens; for I know that what God chooses is better than what I choose.”’
‘“It is impossible that happiness, and yearning for what is not present, should ever be united.”’
‘“It is no easy thing for a principle to become a man’s own unless each day he maintains it and works it out in his life.”’
‘“Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself.”’
‘ “When you close your doors, and make darkness within, remember never to say that you are alone, for you are not alone; nay, God is within, and your genius is within. And what need have they of light to see what you are doing?”’
‘ “Remember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to maintain control.”’
‘“If a person had delivered up your body to some passer-by, you would certainly be angry. And do you feel no shame in delivering up your own mind to any reviler, to be disconcerted and confounded?”’
‘“One of the best ways to elevate your character is to emulate worthy role models.”’
‘“Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.”’
‘“If you have anything better to be doing when death overtakes you, get to work on that.”’
‘“Act well your given part; the choice rests not with you.”’
‘“We must be afraid of neither poverty nor exile nor imprisonment; of fear itself only should we be afraid.”’
‘“A ship should not be held by a single anchor; neither should life depend upon a single hope.”’
‘“It takes more than just a good looking body. You’ve got to have the heart and soul to go with it.”’
‘“No matter where you find yourself, comport yourself as if you were a distinguished person.”’
‘“Circumstances do not rise to meet our expectations. Events happen as they do. People behave as they are. Embrace what you actually get.”’
‘“All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.”’
‘“Let death be daily before your eyes, and you will never entertain any abject thought, nor too eagerly covet anything.”’
‘“He who is not happy with little will never be happy with much.”’
‘“The pleasure which we most rarely experience gives us greatest delight.”’
‘“Another person will not hurt you without your cooperation; you are hurt the moment you believe yourself to be.”’
‘“To a longer and worse life, a shorter and better is by all means to be preferred.”’
‘“We should do everything both cautiously and confidently at the same time.”’
‘“Whatever you would make habitual, practice it; and if you would not make a thing habitual, do not practice it, but accustom yourself to something else.”’
‘“The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”’
‘“When your thoughts, words, and deeds form a seamless fabric, you streamline your efforts and thus eliminate worry and dread.”’
‘Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.”’
‘“What concerns me is not the way things are, but rather the way people think things are.”’
‘“It’s time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to be wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become.”’
‘“Who then is invincible? The one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice.”’
‘“Never say about anything, “I have lost it,” but only “I have given it back.” Is your child dead? It has been given back. Is your wife dead? She has been returned.”’
‘“If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.”’
‘“Events do not just happen, but arrive by appointment.”’
‘“All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.”’
‘“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.”’
‘ “Act your part with honor.”’
‘“What thou avoidest suffering thyself seek not to impose on others.”’
‘“Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.”’
‘“If you think you control things that are in the control of others, you will lament. You will be disturbed and you will blame both gods and men.”’
‘“Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public.”’
‘ “Do not try to seem wise to others.”’
‘“To live a life of virtue, you have to become consistent, even when it isn’t convenient, comfortable, or easy.”’
‘“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. When you dwell on their words and let them dominate your thoughts, you make them your master.”’
‘“When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.”’
‘“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”’
‘“Do not give sentence in another tribunal till you have been yourself judged in the tribunal of Justice.”’
‘“When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to.”’
‘“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.”’
‘“Difficulties are things that show a person what they are.”’
‘“Learn to wish that everything should come to pass exactly as it does.”’
‘“Cowardice, the dread of what will happen.”’
‘“To make anything a habit, do it; to not make it a habit, do not do it; to unmake a habit, do something else in place of it.”’
‘“Nothing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig.”’
‘“We suffer not from the events in our lives but from our judgement about them.”’
‘“We should not moor a ship with one anchor, or our life with one hope.”’
‘“Confident because of our caution.”’
‘“The foolish and the uneducated have little use for freedom. Only the educated are free.”’
‘“One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent.”’
‘“Be careful to leave your sons well instructed rather than rich, for the hopes of the instructed are better than the wealth of the ignorant.”’
‘“Men are not afraid of things, but of how they view them.”’
‘“You are but an appearance, and not absolutely the thing you appear to be.”’
‘“You lose only the things you have.”’
‘“You become what you give your attention to.”’
‘“Contentment comes not so much from great wealth as from few wants.”’
‘“If one oversteps the bounds of moderation, the greatest pleasures cease to please.”’
‘“To pay homage to beauty is to admire Nature; to admire Nature is to worship God.”’
‘“What is it to be a philosopher? Is it not to be prepared against events?”’
‘“Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?”’
‘“Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire.”’
‘“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.”’
‘“We all carry the seeds of greatness within us, but we need an image as a point of focus in order that they may sprout.”’
‘“The flourishing life cannot be achieved until we moderate our desires and see how superficial and fleeting they are.”’
‘“Never say of anything I have lost it, only say that I have given it back.”’
‘“Seek to be the purple thread in the long white gown.”’
‘“What ought one to say then as each hardship comes? I was practicing for this, I was training for this.”’
‘“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.”’
‘“What disturbs people’s minds are not events but their judgments on events.”’
‘“The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.”’
‘“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.”’
‘“Desire and happiness cannot live together.”’
‘“Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.”’
‘“You have been given your own work to do. Get to it right now, do your best at it, and don’t be concerned with who is watching you. Create your own merit.”’
‘“Happiness and personal fulfillment are the natural consequences of doing the right thing.”’
‘“Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.”’
‘“Don’t demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them do. Accept events as they actually happen. That way, peace is possible.”’
‘“No great thing is created suddenly. There must be time. Give your best and always be kind.”’
‘“It is not things in themselves which trouble us, but our opinions of things.”’
‘“Only the educated are free.”’
‘“It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous – even death is terrible only if we fear it.”’
‘“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control. Stop aspiring to be anyone other than your own best self: for that does fall within your control.”’
‘“Man is troubled not by events, but by the meaning he gives them.”’
‘“You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.”’
‘“God has entrusted me with myself. No man is free who is not master of himself. A man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things. The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.”’
‘“I have to die. If it is now, well then I die now; if later, then now I will take my lunch, since the hour for lunch has arrived – and dying I will tend to later.”’
‘“Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control.”’
‘“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”’
‘“Try not to react merely in the moment. Pull back from the situation. Take a wider view. Compose yourself.”’
‘“Man is not fully free unless he is master of himself.”’
‘“Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.”’
‘He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.”’
‘“Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcome.”’
‘“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.”’
‘“It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.”’
‘“From this instant on, vow to stop disappointing yourself. Separate yourself from the mob. Decide to be extraordinary and do what you need to do – now.”’
‘“It’s so simple really: If you say you’re going to do something, do it. If you start something, finish it.”’
‘“The greater the difficulty the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”’
‘“Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.”’
‘“No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage.”’
‘“It is not events that disturb the minds of men, but the view they take of them.”’
‘“Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.”’
‘“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”’
‘“When you are offended at any man’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.”’
‘“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”’
‘“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”’
‘“Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.”’
‘“If anyone is unhappy, remember that his unhappiness is his own fault. Nothing else is the cause of anxiety or loss of tranquility except our own opinion.”’
‘“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”’
‘“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”’
‘“The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.”’
‘“If you wish to be a writer, write.”’
‘“Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not.”’
‘“No great thing is created suddenly.”’
‘“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”’
‘“Books are the training weights of the mind.”’
‘“Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.”’
‘“Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.”’
‘“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”’
‘“No man is free who is not master of himself.”’
‘“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”’
‘“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”’
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