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What Would Stoics Do

Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE

Enchiridion 8 — Epictetus

Translation by George Long (1877)

Epictetus, Enchiridion 8

Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.
— Epictetus, Enchiridion 8 · tr. George Long (1877)Read in context →

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Epictetus, Enchiridion 8, tr. George Long (1877)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/8

Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences

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Stop demanding that events match your wishes and instead learn to want things to turn out as they do, and your life will run smoothly and calmly.

Themes and situations

  • Acceptance and fate
  • Peace of mind
  • Desire and craving
  • What is in our control
  • Anxiety about the future
  • A career setback

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