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What Would Stoics Do

Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE

Fragments 6 — Epictetus

Translation by George Long (1877)

Epictetus, Fragments 6

Do not so much be ashamed of that (disgrace) which proceeds from men’s opinion as fly from that which comes from the truth.
— Epictetus, Fragments 6 · tr. George Long (1877)Read in context →

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Epictetus, Fragments 6, tr. George Long (1877)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/6

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

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In plain English

AI-written notes

Worry less about being thought badly of and more about what is genuinely shameful, which is actual wrongdoing. Public disgrace matters little, but being truly at fault matters a great deal.

Older wording

“fly from”
— run away from, avoid

Themes and situations

  • Reputation and others' opinions
  • Virtue and character
  • Justice and fairness
  • Being criticised or insulted
  • An ethical dilemma

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