Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Fragments 39 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Fragments 39
If you seek truth, you will not seek by every means to gain a victory; and if you have found truth, you will have the gain of not being defeated.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Fragments 39, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/39
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIf you are really after the truth, you will not try to win an argument by any means available. And if you do find it, you gain something better than a victory: you cannot be defeated, because you hold what is true.
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Pride and humility
- Speech and silence
- Learning and progress
- Conflict at work
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