Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Discourses 1.25 ¶1 — Epictetus
From “On the Same”
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Discourses 1.25 ¶1
If these things are true, and if we are not silly, and are not acting hypocritically when we say that the good of man is in the will, and the evil too, and that everything else does not concern us, why are we still disturbed, why are we still afraid? The things about which we have been busied are in no man’s power: and the things which are in the power of others, we care not for. What kind of trouble have we still?
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Discourses 1.25 ¶1, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/discourses/1.25.1
Epictetus, Discourses (as recorded by Arrian), tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIf we truly believe that what matters is our own choices and that everything else is outside our concern, there is no real reason left to feel disturbed or afraid. The things we fret about are either in nobody's power or in the hands of others whom we need not worry about.
Themes and situations
- What is in our control
- Fear and anxiety
- Peace of mind
- Judgements and impressions
- Anxiety about the future
Quote cards
The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.