Epictetus Famous Quotes in English

Epictetus (c. 50–135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher born a slave in Phrygia, later gaining freedom in Rome. He taught that philosophy is a way of life and emphasized inner freedom, self-mastery, and resilience. 


His teachings, preserved by his student Arrian in the "Discourses" and the "Enchiridion," focus on the power of the mind to overcome external circumstances and achieve tranquility.

Epictetus Famous Quotes

Epictetus Famous Quotes

People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.


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


No man is free who is not master of himself.


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


Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.


The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.


No great thing is created suddenly.


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


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


We suffer not from the events in our lives, but from our judgment about them.


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


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


Seek not the good in external things; seek it in yourselves.


If you wish to be a writer, write.


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


No man is free who is not master of himself.


Difficulty shows what men are.


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


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


To know you are a prisoner of your mind is the dawn of wisdom.


God has entrusted me with myself.


First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.


The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.


Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake, in little things; and then proceed to greater.


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


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.


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


It's not things that upset us, but our judgments about things.


Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them.


You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.


He who is not angry at himself does not change.


It is the nature of the wise to resist pleasures, but the foolish to be a slave to them.


Control your passions lest they take vengeance on you.


Who is your master? Anyone who has control over things upon which you have set your heart or which you seek to avoid.


Seek not to change the world, but choose to change your mind about the world.


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


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


Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.


If you seek truth, you will not seek victory by dishonorable means, and if you find truth, you will become invincible.


Events do not just happen, but arrive by appointment.


Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.


Only the educated are free.


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


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


What concerns me is not the way things are, but the way people think things are.


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

Epictetus Quotes happiness

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

2. "Seek not the good in external things; seek it in yourselves."

3. "Men are disturbed not by things, but by the view which they take of them."

4. "Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: Some things are within our control, and some things are not."

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

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

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

8. "Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control."

9. "Contentment comes not so much from great wealth as from few wants."

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


Epictetus Quotes circumstances:

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

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

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

4. "We suffer not from the events in our lives, but from our judgment about them."

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

6. "Events do not just happen, but arrive by appointment."

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

8. "It is not events that disturb people, it is their judgements concerning them."

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

10. "The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have."

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