Epictetus Quotes

On reframing a setback that keeps replaying in your head:

Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things.

On letting go of a promotion decision that was never yours to control:

Of things some are in our power, and others are not.

On asking a beginner's question in a room of experts:

If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.

On accepting a diagnosis instead of bargaining with it:

Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish, but wish the things which happen to be as they are.

On taking responsibility for a failed project instead of blaming the team:

It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed, to lay the blame on himself.

Coping with the death of a loved one or the end of a relationship:

Never say of anything, 'I have lost it,' but instead, 'I have given it back.'

Deciding how to respond when someone tries to provoke you:

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.

On choosing a direction before chasing every opportunity:

First say to yourself what you would be, and then do what you have to do.

On quitting a habit that controls more of your day than you admit:

No man is free who is not master of himself.

On investing in a skill nobody is paying you to learn yet:

Only the educated are free.

On finally listening to feedback from a partner you kept dismissing:

It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

Weighing whether you actually understand a stance before defending it publicly:

First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.

Deciding what to let go of before it consumes your peace:

Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.

Wondering whether small daily habits really add up to a career change:

Every habit and capability is confirmed and grows in its corresponding actions, walking by walking, and running by running.

Waiting for permission to start the work you actually want to do:

If you wish to be a writer, write.

Getting impatient with how slowly a new venture is growing:

No great thing is created suddenly.

Deciding whether more study or actual practice is what you need next:

Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person.

On gratitude in the middle of a season of scarcity:

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.