187 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Epictetus held that the rational faculty is the one power we have that can examine itself and every other faculty, judging what each is for and when to use it.
Epictetus tells of Agrippinus, who heard he was condemned and asked only whether his property was safe, then went to dine. A calm mind is not undone by bad news it cannot change.
Epictetus held that we are pained most by what our reason judges irrational, and that a hardship we accept as reasonable becomes bearable. Our opinion of a hardship shapes how it feels.
Epictetus said we each carry a share of reason that we have from the gods, and that remembering this stops us thinking meanly of ourselves.
Epictetus taught that real progress means letting go of desire for things outside our control and using aversion only on what depends on our own will.
Epictetus judged progress by how a person handles desire, aversion and judgment day to day, not by how many philosophy books they have read.
Epictetus said real progress is learning to be free of lament, fear of death, exile and loss, and that reading books about this is worth little unless it changes how a person lives.
Epictetus observed that people guard their bodies from pain but care little for the soul's shame, and that a deadened sense of shame is wrongly taken for strength.
Epictetus taught that we share basic needs with animals, but our power to understand what things are for is what asks more of us, so living well means acting in an orderly way that fits our nature.
Epictetus asked why people travel far to see wonders when the works of nature are already around them, and reminded them they have greatness of soul to bear the discomforts of any trip.
Epictetus said we are given the means to bear whatever happens, and that blaming the gods for hardship shows a meanness of spirit rather than strength.
Epictetus taught that true freedom is not getting everything we wish for, but learning to wish that things happen as they do, the way a student learns to write a name as it should be written.
Epictetus suggested we call time alone tranquillity and freedom, and call a busy gathering a festival rather than a trouble, so that we accept our circumstances with contentment.
Epictetus argued that a person is only truly imprisoned when they are where they are against their will, as Socrates was not, because he stayed by choice.
Epictetus told anyone given authority over others to remember they are kin by nature, and not to become a tyrant just because they hold the higher place.
Epictetus said the art of living is each person's own life, so philosophy cannot secure outside things like health or reputation, only keep our own governing part in line with nature.
Epictetus held that a wrongdoer is mistaken about what matters and deserves pity rather than anger, and that we only lose what we already have, so clinging to possessions is what makes loss hurt.
Epictetus said a tyrant can chain the leg and take the neck, but cannot touch the will, and that steadiness should be practised first in small things like a headache.
Epictetus asked a tyrant what real power he had, since no one can guarantee their own desires or avoid every error, and noted that respect for a position is not the same as respect for a person.
Epictetus said that our own opinions disturb us more than any threat, since a person who values their own will cannot be enslaved by threats to the body.
Epictetus noticed that people give thanks to the gods for public honours but rarely for good desires or acting in line with nature, and warned that titles and names fade quickly.
Epictetus said a person should be content to desire and act in line with their own nature, and that chasing the applause of people one considers mad is pointless.
Epictetus held that people share basic ideas of what is good and right, and that most disagreements arise from applying those ideas to particular cases.
Epictetus defined education as learning to apply our natural ideas to particular things, and to tell apart what is in our power, our will and our actions, from what is not, such as the body, possessions and family.
Epictetus warned that if we place our good in property, health and reputation, we will end up fighting others for them and resenting the gods when we lose.
Epictetus said hard circumstances show what people are, and that a difficulty can be useful training, as a wrestler is matched with a rough young opponent to grow stronger.
Epictetus praised Diogenes as a good scout who showed by his own calm and courage that poverty and pain were nothing to fear.
Epictetus said what is truly ours is our integrity and our sense of shame, which no one can take unless we give them away by chasing what belongs to others.
Epictetus said we squeeze ourselves with our own opinions, and that an insult gains its sting only from the weakness of the person insulted.
Epictetus taught that to break a bad habit we should practise the opposite habit, and meet deceptive appearances with reason and steady practice.
Epictetus said death cannot be escaped, so the sensible course is to face it bravely, since the real trouble is wanting things to be other than they are.
Epictetus argued that we assent only to what appears true to us, so those who do wrong are usually mistaken rather than wicked, and anger at them is misplaced.
Epictetus held that people act on what seems good to them, so a person who does harm is deceived and deserves pity, and understanding this takes away the urge to anger.
Epictetus said the real ruin of a person comes when they lose modesty, fidelity and right judgment, not when they lose possessions or power.
Epictetus taught that a good life is drawn from our own will and judgment, since a tyrant can threaten only the body, and nothing else can overcome the will itself.
Epictetus pointed to Socrates, who said his accusers could kill him but could not harm him, and accepted his death calmly as the will of God.
Epictetus said that whatever happens outside our will is nothing to us, and that we should seek advantage only in what is truly within our control.
Epictetus said the world needs fewer clever arguments and more people who live out what they have learned, so that their own conduct becomes the example.
Epictetus said the things that frighten us are the real masters we serve, and that once we stop fearing them we are no longer bound.
Epictetus taught that we should be patient with people who are ignorant, excusing them as acting on what they think is good for themselves, as Socrates was kind to his jailer.
Epictetus said courage and caution belong together: be confident about what lies outside our will, and careful only about what we control.
Epictetus observed that we fear things outside our control and act recklessly about things within it, and that the fear of pain or death is harder to bear than pain or death itself.
Epictetus said we should meet death with courage rather than flight, since its terror comes from inexperience, like a child frightened by a mask that does not bite once turned over.
Epictetus held that real freedom is the power to live as we choose, without fear, sorrow or error, and that the educated are the ones who truly possess it.
Epictetus said that if we keep to what is in our own power, such as being modest and faithful, no judge or tyrant can take that away from us.
Epictetus compared a trained writer to a person prepared for any event: skill and good habits let us respond to what is needed, rather than waiting to be told.
Epictetus compared life to a sea voyage: do your own part well, then leave the storm to the master of the ship, and neither panic nor blame God when the ship is in danger.
Epictetus said a foot is only a foot while it belongs to the body, so we should see ourselves as parts of a wider whole and accept illness and loss as part of that larger life.
Epictetus advised that where we lack training we should yield to those who have practised, and stay content with firmness of mind rather than envy them.
Epictetus said that when we do not get what we wanted, we should ask whether the outcome was ever ours to control, and stop claiming what belongs to someone else.
Epictetus said we need not lean on fortune-tellers for what is good, since reason within us can show our duty, and that fear is what makes us flatter them.
Epictetus taught that each person carries a share of the divine reason within, so impure thoughts and deeds dishonour what we carry, and should be avoided.
Epictetus compared us to a statue made by a master: we were trusted to keep ourselves modest, faithful and free from disturbance, and should honour that trust.
Epictetus said a philosopher's real strength shows in steady desire, careful choice and considered assent, not in an outward show of dignity.
Epictetus said we keep our humanity by acting as a reasoning being should, since rash, gluttonous or angry acts diminish us while modest and faithful acts strengthen our character.
Epictetus warned that learning alone is not enough: unless we put right opinions into practice, we are only repeating other people's ideas, like bread stored away and never eaten.
Epictetus said that as a citizen of the world with the reason to see how things fit together, we should act for the whole community and not only for ourselves.
Epictetus said our duties follow from the roles we hold, such as son or brother, and that giving way in small matters brings a better temper and a larger share of what truly matters.
Epictetus said each role we hold, such as senator, youth or old man, marks out our proper duties, and that losing modesty or gentleness is a far greater loss than losing money.
Epictetus argued that the real harm we risk is to our own will, since wronging another damages our character far more than it damages the person wronged.
