Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Enchiridion 18 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Enchiridion 18
When a raven has croaked inauspiciously, let not the appearance hurry you away with it; but straightway make a distinction in your mind and say, None of these things is signified to me, but either to my poor body, or to my small property, or to my reputation, or to my children or to my wife: but to me all significations are auspicious if I choose. For whatever of these things results, it is in my power to derive benefit from it.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Enchiridion 18, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/18
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesDo not let bad omens or alarming signs panic you, because any warning can only concern your body, property, reputation or family, never your own will. To you every sign can be favourable if you choose, since you can get something worthwhile out of whatever follows.
Older wording
- “inauspiciously”
- — as a bad omen
- “auspicious”
- — favourable, promising
- “appearance”
- — the impression your mind receives of something
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Fear and anxiety
- What is in our control
- Acceptance and fate
- Anxiety about the future
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