Epictetus quotes

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.

Every place is safe to him who lives with justice.

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

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.

Don’t consent to be hurt and you won’t be hurt – this is a choice over which you have control

Keep silence for the most part, and speak only when you must, and then briefly.

What matters most is what sort of person you are becoming. Wise individuals care only about whom they are today and who they can be tomorrow.

The people have a right to the truth as they have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

It's so simple really: If you say you're going to do something, do it. If you start something, finish it.

Have the wisdom to know what cannot be changed, and the strength to change what can.

He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.

Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, and desires and the demons that distract us from these goals. Outside of our control are such things as what kind of body we have, whether or not we are born into wealth, and how we are regarded by others.

When you are offended at any man's fault, turn to yourself and study your own failings. Then you will forget your anger.

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.

Be careful whom you associate with. It is human to imitate the habits of those with whom we interact. We inadvertently adopt their interests, their opinions, their values, and their habit of interpreting events.

All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.

When you actively engage in gradually refining yourself, you retreat from your lazy ways of covering yourself or making excuses. Instead of feeling a persistent current of low-level shame, you move forward by using the creative possibilities of this moment, your current situation.

It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.

In life our first job is this, to divide and distinguish things into two categories: externals I cannot control, but the choices I make with regard to them I do control. Where will I find good and bad? In me, in my choices.

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.

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

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.

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 say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

Make it your business to draw out the best in others by being an exemplar yourself.

To live a life of virtue, you have to become consistent, even when it isn't convenient, comfortable, or easy.

Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.

Ask yourself, "How are my thoughts, words and deeds affecting my friends, my spouse, my neighbour, my child, my employer, my subordinates, my fellow citizens?"

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

God has entrusted me with myself.

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.

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.

Events do not just happen, but arrive by appointment.

In order to please others, we loose our hold on our life's purpose.

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.

Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a hindrance to the leg, but not to your ability to choose. Say this to yourself with regard to everything that happens, then you will see such obstacles as hindrances to something else, but not to yourself.

We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.

It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting.

Now is the time to get serious about living your ideals. Once you have determined the spiritual principles you wish to exemplify, abide by these rules as if they were laws, as if it were indeed sinful to compromise them. Don't mind if others don't share your convictions. How long can you afford to put off who you really want to be? Your nobler self cannot wait any longer.

Who exactly do you want to be? What kind of person do you want to be? What are your personal ideals? Whom do you admire? What are their special traits that you would make your own It's time to stop being vague. If you wish to be an extraordinary person, if you wish to become wise, then you should explicitly identify the kind of person you aspire to become. If you have a daybook, write down who you're trying to be, so that you can refer to this self-determination. Precisely describe the demeanor you want to adopt so that you may preserve it when you are by yourself or with other people.

No great thing is created suddenly. There must be time. Give your best and always be kind.

In trying to please other people, we find ourselves misdirected toward what lies outside our sphere of influence. In doing so, we lose our hold on our lifes purpose.

As you think, so you become.....Our busy minds are forever jumping to conclusions, manufacturing and interpreting signs that aren't there.

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.

Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.

Ruin and recovering are both from within.

He who is not happy with little will never be happy with much.

Liars are the cause of all the sins and crimes in the world.

Other people's views and troubles can be contagious. Don't sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others.

Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself.

You can be happy if you know this secret: Some things are within your power to control and some things are not.

Don't be concerned with other people's impressions of you. They are dazzled and deluded by appearances. Stick with your purpose. This alone will strengthen your will and give your life coherence.

Freedom and happiness come from understanding - and working with - our limits. Begin at once a program of self-mastery. Stick with your purpose. Do not seek external approval. Do not worry about anything outside of your control. The only things you command are your thoughts and actions. We choose our response. Stop aspiring to be anyone other than your own best self: for that does fall within your control.

It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

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.

Progress is not achieved by luck or accident, but by working on yourself daily.

Freedom is secured not by the fulfillment of one's desires, but by the removal of desire.

What is a good person? One who achieves tranquillity by having formed the habit of asking on every occasion, "what is the right thing to do now?"

Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

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.

Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control. Sickness may challenge your body. But are you merely your body? Lameness may impede your legs. But you are not merely your legs. Your will is bigger than your legs. Your will needn't be affected by an incident unless you let it.

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.

Wisdom means understanding without any doubt that circumstances do not rise to meet our expectations. Events happen as they may. People behave as they will.

When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it. It is not the things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significance. Things and people are not what we wish them to be nor are they what they seem to be. They are what they are.

What is learned without pleasure is forgotten without remorse.

Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems

Never depend on the admiration of others for self-satisfaction. It is a fact of life that other people, even people who love you, will not necessarily agree with your ideas, understand you always, or share your enthusiasms.

Whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit.

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Don't regard what anyone says of you, for this, after all, is no concern of yours.

We can't control the impressions others form about us, and the effort to do so only debases our character.

You bear God within you, poor wretch, and know it not.

You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.

If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.

Only the educated are free.

Keep your attention focused entirely on what is truly your own concern, and be clear that what belongs to others is their business and none of yours.

Fortify yourself with contentment, for this is an impregnable fortress.

The world turns aside to let any man pass who knows where he is going.

Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control.

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.

Never look for your work in one place and your progress in another.

I laugh at those who think they can damage me. They do not know who I am, they do not know what I think, they cannot even touch the things which are really mine and with which I live.

When you let go of your attention for a little while, do not think you may recover it whenever you please.

You become what you give your attention to...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.

Try not to react merely in the moment. Pull back from the situation. Take a wider view. Compose yourself.

We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

An ignorant person is inclined to blame others for his own misfortune. To blame oneself is proof of progress. But the wise man never has to blame another or himself.

Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.

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.

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.

Desire and happiness cannot live together.

Freedom and happiness are won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.

Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.

The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.

When something happens, the only thing in your power is your attitude toward it; you can either accept it or resent it.

A ship should not be held by a single anchor; neither should life depend upon a single hope.

Happiness and personal fulfillment are the natural consequences of doing the right thing.

It is difficulties that show what men are. For the future, in case of any difficulty, remember that God, like a gymnastic trainer, has pitted you against a rough antagonist. For what end? That you may be an Olympic conqueror; and this cannot be without toil.

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

All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.

To live a life of virtue, match up your thoughts, words, and deeds.

Anything worth putting off is worth abandoning altogether.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

To get or not to get what we desire can be equally disappointing.

No matter where you find yourself, comport yourself as if you were a distinguished person.

And be silent for the most part, or else make only the most necessary remarks, and express these in few words. But rarely, and when occasion requires you to talk, talk, indeed, but about no ordinary topics. Do not talk about gladiators, or horseraces, or athletes, or things to eat or drink - topics that arise on all occasions; but above all, do not talk about people, either blaming, or praising, or comparing them.

No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage.

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.

Books are the training weights of the mind.

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.

Men are not troubled by things themselves, but by their thoughts about them

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

The best place to get help is from yourself.

Let silence be your general rule; or say only what is necessary and in few words.

To pay homage to beauty is to admire Nature; to admire Nature is to worship God

To know that you do not know and to be willing to admit that you do not know without sheepishly apologizing is real strength and sets the stage for learning and progress in any endeavor.

I am always content with what happens; for I know that what God chooses is better than what I choose.

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.

Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.

Act your part with honor.

Whoever wants to be free, therefore, let him not want or avoid anything that is up to others. Otherwise he will necessarily be a slave.

Renew every day your conversation with God: Do this even in preference to eating. Think more often of God than you breathe.

Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public.