Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Fragments 23 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Fragments 23
If you had been born among the Persians, you would not have wished to live in Hellas (Greece), but to have lived in Persia happy: so if you are born in poverty, why do you seek to grow rich, and why do you not remain in poverty and be happy?
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Fragments 23, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/23
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA person born in Persia would not pine to live in Greece but would aim to be happy where they were. In the same way, if you were born poor, there is no reason to postpone contentment until you are rich, because happiness does not depend on where you start.
Older wording
- “Hellas”
- — Greece
Themes and situations
- Acceptance and fate
- Wealth and poverty
- Desire and craving
- Peace of mind
- Money, status and wanting more
- Envy and comparison
- Losing money
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