Epictetus quotes
Born a slave, became a Stoic teacher. His Discourses and Enchiridion teach the dichotomy of control: focus only on what is up to us.
11 passages across 9 themes. More on Epictetus.
On freedom
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
“The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it. Skilful pilots gain their reputation from storms and tempests.”
“You become what you give your attention to.”
On contentment
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
On self-mastery
“It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
On listening
“We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
On mind
“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”
On purpose
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
On character
“Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
On peace
“There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.”
On action
“Other people’s views and troubles can be contagious. Don’t sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others.”