Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Fragments 64 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Fragments 64
As the stone which tests the gold is not at all tested itself by the gold, so it is with him who has the faculty of judging.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Fragments 64, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/64
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesA touchstone tests gold without being tested by the gold, and in the same way a person with sound judgement assesses others without being measured by them.
Older wording
- “faculty of judging”
- — the ability to judge or discern well
Themes and situations
- Judgements and impressions
- Virtue and character
- Justice and fairness
- Reputation and others' opinions
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