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Top Epictetus Quotes

Browse top 96 most favorite famous quotes and sayings by Epictetus.

Favorite Epictetus Quotes

1. "If you have an earnest desire towards philosophy, prepare yourself from the very first to have the multitude laugh and sneer, and say, "He is returned to us a philosopher all at once; "and "Whence this supercilious look?" Now, for your part, do not have a supercilious look indeed; but keep steadily to those things which appear best to you, as one appointed by God to this particular station. For remember that, if you are persistent, those very persons who at first ridiculed will afterwards admire you. But if you are conquered by them, you will incur a double ridicule." ~ Epictetus
2. "Freedom is not procured by a full enjoyment of what is desired, but by controlling the desire." ~ Epictetus
3. "What is death? A "tragic mask." Turn it and examine it. See, it does not bite. The poor body must be separated from the spirit either now or later, as it was separated from it before. Why, then, are you troubled, if it be separated now? for if it is not separated now, it will be separated afterward. Why? That the period of the universe may be completed, for it has need of the present, and of the future, and of the past. What is pain? A mask. Turn it and examine it. The poor flesh is moved roughly, then, on the contrary, smoothly. If this does not satisfy you, the door is open: if it does, bear. For the door ought to be open for all occasions; and so we have no trouble." ~ Epictetus
4. "Whoever then would be free, let him wish for nothing, let him decline nothing, which depends on others; else he must necessarily be a slave." ~ Epictetus
5. "Dès qu'une image viendra te troubler l'esprit, pense à te dire : « Tu n'es qu'image, et non la réalité dont tu as l'apparence. » Puis, examine-la et soumets-la à l'épreuve des lois qui règlent ta vie : avant tout, vois si cette réalité dépend de nous ou n'en dépend pas ; et si elle ne dépend pas de nous, sois prêt à dire : « Cela ne me regarde pas. »" ~ Epictetus
6. "Such was, and is, and will be the nature of the universe, and it isn't possible that things should come into being in any other way than they do at present; and not only have human beings participated in the process of change and transformation along with all the other creatures that live on the earth, but also those beings that are divine, and, by Zeus, even the four elements, which are changed and transformed upwards and downwards, as earth becomes water, and water air, and air is transformed in turn into ether. If someone endeavours to turn his mind towards these things, and to persuade himself to accept of his own free will what must necessarily come about, he will live a very balanced and harmonious life." ~ Epictetus
7. "Man is disturbed not by things, but by the views he takes of them." ~ Epictetus
8. "Asked how a man should best grieve his enemy, Epictetus replied, "By setting himself to live the noblest life himself." ~ Epictetus
9. "Maak er van meet af aan een goede gewoonte van tegen elke pijnlijke indruk van buitenaf te zeggen: 'Jij bent niet meer dan een indruk! Jij bent heel anders dan je je voordoet!" ~ Epictetus
10. "Keep the prospect of death, exile and all such apparent tragedies before you every day – especially death – and you will never have an abject thought, or desire anything to excess." ~ Epictetus
11. "Friend, lay hold with a desperate grasp, ere it is too late, on Freedom, on Tranquility, on Greatness of soul!" ~ Epictetus
12. "Man is troubled not by events, but by the meaning he gives to them." ~ Epictetus
13. "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." Translation by Sharon Lebell" ~ Epictetus
14. "Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men's desires, but by the removal of desire." ~ Epictetus
15. "A guide, on finding a man who has lost his way, brings him back to the right path—he does not mock and jeer at him and then take himself off. You also must show the unlearned man the truth, and you will see that he will follow. But so long as you do not show it him, you should not mock, but rather feel your own incapacity." ~ Epictetus
16. "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." ~ Epictetus
17. "If someone speaks badly of you, do not defend yourself against the accusations, but reply; "you obviously don't know about my other vices, otherwise you would have mentioned these as well" ~ Epictetus
18. "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." ~ Epictetus
19. "Crows pick out the eyes of the dead, when the dead have no longer need of them; but flatterers mar the soul of the living, and her eyes they blind." ~ Epictetus
20. "Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people's weaknesses. Avoid being one of the mob who indulges in such pastimes. Your life is too short and you have important things to do. Be discriminating about what images and ideas you permit into your mind. If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest. It is the easiest thing in the world to slide imperceptibly into vulgarity. But there's no need for that to happen if you determine not to waste your time and attention on mindless pap." ~ Epictetus
21. "Small-minded people blame others. Average people blame themselves. The wise see all blame as foolishness" ~ Epictetus
22. "Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public." ~ Epictetus
23. "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." ~ Epictetus
24. "For it is not death or pain that is to be feared, but the fear of pain or death." ~ Epictetus
25. "If you ever happen to turn your attention to externals, for the pleasure of any one, be assured that you have ruined your scheme of life. Be contented, then, in everything, with being a philosopher; and if you with to seem so likewise to any one, appear so to yourself, and it will suffice you." ~ Epictetus
26. "It has been ordained that there be summer and winter, abundance and dearth, virtue and vice, and all such opposites for the harmony of the whole, and (Zeus) has given each of us a body, property, and companions." ~ Epictetus
27. "Wherever I go it will be well with me, for it was well with me here, not on account of the place, but of my judgments which I shall carry away with me, for no one can deprive me of these; on the contrary, they alone are my property, and cannot be taken away, and to possess them suffices me wherever I am or whatever I do." ~ Epictetus
28. "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things. Thus death is nothing terrible, else it would have appeared so to Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death, that it is terrible. When, therefore, we are hindered, or disturbed, or grieved let us never impute it to others, but to ourselves; that is, to our own views. It is the action of an uninstructed person to reproach others for his own misfortunes; of one entering upon instruction, to reproach himself; and of one perfectly instructed, to reproach neither others or himself." ~ Epictetus
29. "Men are not afraid of things, but of how they view them." ~ Epictetus
30. "The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best." ~ Epictetus
31. "When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger." ~ Epictetus
32. "Is freedom anything else than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else." ~ Epictetus
33. "First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak." ~ Epictetus
34. "All religions must be tolerated... for every man must get to heaven in his own way." ~ Epictetus
35. "He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has." ~ Epictetus
36. "Only the educated are free." ~ Epictetus
37. "If thy brother wrongs thee, remember not so much his wrong-doing, but more than ever that he is thy brother." ~ Epictetus
38. "People are not disturbed by things, but by the view they take of them." ~ Epictetus
39. "Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens." ~ Epictetus
40. "If you wish to be a writer, write." ~ Epictetus
41. "Do not try to seem wise to others." ~ Epictetus
42. "Preach not to others what they should eat, but eat as becomes you and be silent." ~ Epictetus
43. "Either God wants to abolish evil, and cannot; or he can, but does not want to." ~ Epictetus
44. "Even as the Sun doth not wait for prayers and incantations torise, but shines forth and is welcomed by all: so thou also waitnot for clapping of hands and shouts and praise to do thy duty;nay, do good of thine own accord, and thou wilt be loved like theSun." ~ Epictetus
45. "Control thy passions lest they take vengence on thee. ~ Epictetus" ~ Epictetus
46. "Appearances to the mind are of four kinds. Things either are what they appear to be; or they neither are, nor appear to be; or they are, and do not appear to be; or they are not, and yet appear to be. Rightly to aim in all these cases is the wise man's task." ~ Epictetus
47. "These reasonings are unconnected: "I am richer than you, therefore I am better"; "I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better." The connection is rather this: "I am richer than you, therefore my property is greater than yours;" "I am more eloquent than you, therefore my style is better than yours." But you, after all, are neither property nor style." ~ Epictetus
48. "So you wish to conquer in the Olympic Games, my friend? And I, too... But first mark the conditions and the consequences. You will have to put yourself under discipline; to eat by rule, to avoid cakes and sweetmeats; to take exercise at the appointed hour whether you like it or not, in cold and heat; to abstain from cold drinks and wine at your will. Then, in the conflict itself you are likely enough to dislocate your wrist or twist your ankle, to swallow a great deal of dust, to be severely thrashed, and after all of these things, to be defeated." ~ Epictetus
49. "Whoever is going to listen to the philosophers needs a considerable practice in listening." ~ Epictetus
50. "Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?" ~ Epictetus
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Stewart loves me with a tiger's intensity, his need taking my breath away, his confidence in our relationship strong enough to not be bothered by the presence of another man. He stares into my soul as if he owns it, and shows his love with money, sex, and rare moments of time."
Author: Alessandra Torre

What Did Epictetus Talk About?

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Self
Hen
Con
Ours
Yours
Per
Ear
Yourself
Pen
Hey
Wit
End
Free
Here
Son
Ten
Himself
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Happen
Wish
Wise
Act
Mind
Lit
Either
Turn
Does
Lie
Use
Los
Content
Era
Therefore
May
Mean
Thou
Slave
Body
Off
Ring
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Member
Hall
Possible
Remember
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