In trying to please other people, we find ourselves misdirected toward what lies outside our sphere of influence. In doing so, we lose our hold on our lifes purpose.
EPICTETUSA ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.
More Epictetus Quotes
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We all dread a bodily paralysis, and would make use of every contrivance to avoid it; but none of us is troubled about a paralysis of the soul.
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If you wish to live a life free from sorrow, think of what is going to happen as if it had already happened.
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Don’t live by your own rules, but in harmony with nature.
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Do not try to seem wise to others.
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Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.
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The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skillful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.
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First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.
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You can be happy if you know this secret: Some things are within your power to control and some things are not.
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All religions must be tolerated for every man must get to heaven in his own way.
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Don’t demand or expect that events happen as you would wish them do. Accept events as they actually happen. That way, peace is possible.
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When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to.
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Have the wisdom to know what cannot be changed, and the strength to change what can.
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Try not to react merely in the moment. Pull back from the situation. Take a wider view. Compose yourself.
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Desire and happiness cannot live together.
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Imagine for yourself a character, a model personality, whose example you determine to follow, in private as well as in public.
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Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.
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To live a life of virtue, match up your thoughts, words, and deeds.
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Nature hath given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.
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Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.
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Keep your attention focused entirely on what is truly your own concern, and be clear that what belongs to others is their business and none of yours.
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If evil be spoken of you and it be true, correct yourself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.
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Authentic happiness is always independent of external conditions.
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We can’t control the impressions others form about us, and the effort to do so only debases our character.
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Don’t be concerned with other people’s impressions of you. They are dazzled and deluded by appearances. Stick with your purpose. This alone will strengthen your will and give your life coherence.
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Don’t consent to be hurt and you won’t be hurt – this is a choice over which you have control.
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We suffer not from the events in our lives but from our judgement about them.
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