Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher who lived from approximately 55 to 135 CE. Born into slavery in Hierapolis, present-day Pamukkale, Turkey, he eventually gained his freedom and became one of the most influential Stoic thinkers. His teachings emphasized the importance of distinguishing between what is within our control—our thoughts, beliefs, and actions—and what is beyond our control, such as external events, circumstances, and the actions of others. He argued that true freedom and tranquility come from focusing on what we can control while accepting, with equanimity, the things we cannot change.
Like other Stoics, Epictetus considered virtue the highest good. He believed that living in accordance with nature and reason leads to eudaimonia, often translated as flourishing or living in harmony with one’s true nature. His ethical framework centered on virtues such as wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Despite facing personal hardships, including slavery and physical ailments, Epictetus taught that external circumstances do not define us—our responses and attitudes do. He encouraged individuals to endure hardship with resilience and to view challenges as opportunities for personal growth.
Epictetus did not write down his teachings himself; instead, his student Arrian recorded them in works known as Discourses and The Enchiridion. The Enchiridion serves as a concise guide to Stoic philosophy, offering practical advice for daily living. Epictetus advocated for detachment from external events and a focus on inner well-being, asserting that true freedom lies in maintaining inner peace and virtue regardless of external circumstances. This aligns with the Stoic belief that our judgments and reactions, rather than external events themselves, shape our experiences.
Epictetus’s teachings have had a lasting impact on Western philosophy, particularly in the development of Stoicism. His emphasis on personal responsibility, virtue, and the distinction between what is within and beyond our control continues to inspire those seeking wisdom and guidance in navigating life’s challenges.
Here are 50 of his most profound teachings:
1. “We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
2. “It is not events that disturb people, but their judgments concerning them.”
3. “He who fears death will never do anything worthy of a man who is alive.”
4. “We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.”
5. “Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”
6. “We cannot learn without pain.”
7. “If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
8. “We suffer not from the events in our lives, but from our judgments about them.”
9. “It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
10. “Wealth consists not in having great possessions but in having few wants.”
11. “It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.”
12. “If you seek truth, you will not seek to gain a victory by every possible means; and when you have found truth, you need not fear being defeated.”
13. “It is better to die of hunger having lived without grief and fear than to live with a troubled spirit amid abundance.”
14. “We should not moor a ship with one anchor, or our life with one hope.”
15. “The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
16. “Don’t explain your philosophy—embody it.”
17. “No man is free who is not a master of himself.”
18. “If you want to be a writer, write.”
19. “He is a wise man who does not grieve for what he lacks but rejoices for what he has.”
20. “Make the best use of what is in your power and take the rest as it happens.”
21. “The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.”
22. “We should not say that it is nothing, but that it is nothing to us.”
23. “Freedom is the only worthy goal in life—it is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”
24. “First, say to yourself what you would be; then do what you have to do.”
25. “Do not try to be anything but what you are, and try to be that perfectly.”
26. “He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
27. “When you are offended by another’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings—then you will forget your anger.”
28. “We should strive to become indifferent to all that makes no difference.”
29. “Difficulty shows what men are.”
30. “It is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed; you must believe that you are being harmed.”
31. “If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation.”
32. “Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not.”
33. “He who is brave is free.”
34. “If you wish to be rich, do not add to your money but subtract from your desires.”
35. “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.”
36. “It is not that we have a short time to live, but that we waste much of it.”
37. “The best revenge is to be unlike him who performed the injustice.”
38. “We are not given control over all things, but only over our own thoughts.”
39. “Circumstances don’t make the man; they only reveal him to himself.”
40. “We should not heed the many who say that only the free ought to be educated, but rather the philosophers who say that only the well-educated are truly free.”
41. “You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.”
42. “He who fears death is a slave to it; he who does not fear it is free.”
43. “We have two selves: one is our true self, and the other is the self we present to the world.”
44. “We suffer more often in imagination than in reality.”
45. “It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
46. “No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you desire a fig, let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”
47. “God has entrusted me with myself.”
48. “It is better to teach than to be taught.”
49. “Don’t just say you have read books—show that through them you have learned to think better, to be more discerning and reflective.”
50. “It is not the act of standing up that makes one noble, but the reason for which one stands up.”
