Available in eBraille only.
A former Roman slave in A.D. 55, Epictetus became an influential Stoic philosopher and teacher. This small booklet encapsulates the great Stoic's key ideas and uses language and imagery suited to our ears today.
Epictetus was a lecturer who himself left no philosophical writings. Fortunately, the main points of his philosophy were painstakingly transcribed by his devoted pupil, the historian Flavius Arrian. This manual for living captures the essential teachings of Epictetus in short, pithy sections (see excerpt below).
Know What You Can Control and What You Can't
"Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle:
some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only
after you have faced up to this fundamental rule and learned to distinguish
between what you can and can't control that inner tranquility and outer
effectiveness become possible.
"Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires, and the
things that repel us. These areas are quite rightly our concern, because
they are directly subject to our influence. We always have the choice about
the contents and character of our inner lives.
"Outside our control, however, are such things as what kind of body we have,
whether we're born into wealth or strike it rich, how we are regarded by
others, and our status in society. We must remember...."
Epictetus taught that goodness is an equal opportunity enterprise. |
