Quotes from Epictetus

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

Do not laugh loudly and obnoxiously.

Nothing can truly be taken from us. There is nothing to lose. Inner peace begins when we stop saying of things, I have lost it and instead say, It has been returned to where it came from. [...] The important thing is to take great care with what you have while the world lets you have it.

This World is one great City, and one if the substance whereof it is fashioned: a certain period indeed there needs must be, while these give place to those; some must perish for others to succeed; some move and some abide: yet all is full of friends--first God, then Men, whom Nature hath bound by ties of kindred each to each.

Avoid taking oaths

No man can rob us of our Will—no man can lord it over that!

A person who rarely leaves home, who doesn't converse with, praise, and encourage others, will not attract friends.

Whenever someone helps or hinders you, or praises or criticizes you, remember that they see you only through the lens of their own impressions. If they act or speak from a warped perspective, they hurt themselves—not you. For if someone mistakes truth for falsehood, the truth is not harmed, but only the person deceived. Keeping this in mind, gently turn away any insult or injury. "It seems right to them, though they are mistaken.

Avoid talking often and excessively about your accomplishments and dangers, for however much you enjoy recounting your dangers, it's not so pleasant for others to hear about your affairs.

Anytus and Meletus can kill me, but they cannot harm me,'50 he says, and: 'If it pleases the gods, so be it.

If you wish to have peace and contentment, release your attachment to all things outside your control. This is the path of freedom and happiness.

Some things are up to us, and some things are not up to us.

So, if you have not been invited to a party, it is because you haven't paid the price of the invitation. It costs social engagement, conversation, encouragement, and praise. If you are not willing to pay this price, do not be upset when you don't receive an invitation.

Show them where they go wrong and you will find that they'll reform. But unless they see it, they are stuck with nothing better than their usual opinion as their practical guide.

If a friend tells you that someone has criticized or insulted you, say, "They must not know about my other faults, or they would have pointed out those, too.

Rufus43 used to say, 'If you have nothing better to do than praise me for it, then my speech was a failure.' He used to address us in such a way as to make everyone sitting there suppose that someone had informed on them – that's how well he intuited the truth, and how vividly he evoked for each one of us our private faults.

I, personally, was never kept from something I wanted, nor had forced upon me something I was opposed to. How did I manage it? I submitted my will to God. He wants me to be sick – well, then, so do I. He wants me to choose something. Then I choose it. He wants me to desire something, I desire it. He wants me to get something, I want the same; or he doesn't want me to get it, and I concur.

We get angry because we put too high a premium on things that they can steal. Don't attach such value to your clothes, and you won't get angry with the thief who takes them.

keep your language free of obscenities. Do not dip into the gutter in search of cheap laughs.

ask yourself how Socrates or Zeno

If you are praised by others, be skeptical of yourself. For it is no easy feat to hold onto your inner harmony while collecting accolades. When grasping for one, you are likely to drop the other.

Let go of the past. We must only begin.

Remember that it is we who torment, we who make difficulties for ourselves – that is, our opinions do. What, for instance, does it mean to be insulted? Stand by a rock and insult it, and what have you accomplished? If someone responds to insult like a rock, what has the abuser gained with his invective?

Loss and sorrow are only possible with respect to things we own.