Stoic Wisdom: Epictetus

A contemplation and collection of the sayings of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus. Herein, I read several of the phrases and lines from his works which I enjoy and gave me hope and inspiration. It is my hope that they can provide some measure of inspiration and help to you as well.
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Transcript

Hello and welcome.

My name is Silas Day and today we will be looking at Epictetus's teachings and sayings.

Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher.

He was born a slave at Heropolis and lived in Rome until his banishment,

When he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life.

His teachings were written down and published by his pupil,

Orion,

In his Discourses and in Kyridion.

Epictetus taught that philosophy is a way of life and not just some theoretical discipline.

To Epictetus,

All external events are beyond our control.

We should accept whatever happens calmly and with elegance.

However,

Individuals are responsible for their own actions,

Which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline.

Along with two other Stoic philosophers,

Marcus Aurelius and Seneca,

Epictetus was a massive influence on my own personal lived philosophy,

As they provided a bedrock of understanding from my own cultural context to grow from.

If these lines that are coming affect you and you are curious of a more detailed analysis,

Please check out Epictetus's two collections of works,

The Discourses and the in Kyridion.

As with anything,

Take time to meditate on what these ancient thoughts have to say,

So that they might sink into your marrow and you know them fully in your own light and spirit.

If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you,

Do not make excuses about what is said of you,

But answer.

He was ignorant of my other faults,

Else he would not have mentioned these alone.

Wealth consists not in having great possessions,

But in having few wants.

Don't just explain your philosophy,

Embody it.

There is only one way to happiness,

And that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.

Don't just say you have read books,

Show that through them you have learned to think better,

To be more discriminating and reflective.

Books are the training weights of the mind.

They are very helpful,

But it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents.

First,

Say to yourself what you would be,

And then do what you have to do.

It is not what happens to you,

But how you react that matters.

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.

He can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by them.

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you,

Whose presence calls forth your best being.

He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.

Other people's views and troubles can be contagious.

Don't sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative,

Unproductive attitudes through your association with others.

To accuse others for one's own misfortune is a sign of want of education.

To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun.

To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one is nearing their completion.

Nature hath given us one tongue but two ears,

So that we might hear from others twice as much as we speak.

Attach yourself to what is spiritually superior,

Regardless of what other people think or do.

Hold to your true aspirations,

No matter what is going on around you.

He is wise,

Who does not grieve for the things which they have not,

But rejoices for the things which they have.

Seek not the good in external things,

Seek it in yourself.

The greater the difficulty,

The more glory in surmounting it.

Skillful sailors gain their reputation from storms and tempests.

Care take this moment.

Immerse yourself in its particulars.

Respond to this person,

This challenge,

This deed.

Quit evasions.

Stop giving yourself needless trouble.

It is time to really live,

To fully inhabit the situation you happen to be in now.

Know first who you are,

And then adorn yourself accordingly.

If you wish to be a reader,

Then read.

If you wish to be a writer,

Then write.

If you want to improve,

Be content to be thought foolish and stupid with regard to external things.

Do not wish to be thought to know anything,

And even if you appear to be somebody important to others,

Distrust yourself.

Therefore,

It is difficult to both keep your faculty of choice in a state of conformable to nature,

And at the same time acquire external things.

But while you are careful about the one,

You must of necessity neglect the other.

Never depend on the admiration of others.

There is no strength in it.

Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source.

It is not to be found in your personal associations,

Nor can it be found in the regard of other people.

It is a fact of life that other people,

Even people who love you,

Will not necessarily agree with your ideas,

Understand you,

Or share your enthusiasms.

Grow up.

Who cares what other people think about you?

You become what you give your attention to.

This is some of the wisdom of Epictetus passed down now over 2000 years.

I highly recommend you checking out his writings if you found these thoughts helpful or intriguing.

As well,

If you enjoyed this content,

Please let me know and I will happily make more as it is an area of great interest to me,

And it is a joy to share them with you.

I'm Silas Day,

And have a wonderful day.

Reviews

Thank you! I am very interested in more Stoicism please.

I have just begun studying stoicism, and I am delighted to hear your lessons today.

I have heard different pronunciations of the philosopher’s name; ė pic TĒ tus, and now ė pic TĪ tus. From its spelling,
I might guess the former, however,
I do not know.

I am grateful for your vocalizing these thoughts today. Best wishes.

I very much so enjoy the Stoic pieces. Please do
more. One suggestion I prefer no background music maybe others feel the same.

Thank you 🙏

John

I am 59 and I am getting some insights from the stoic.

Really love the stoic teaching tracks :) keep making them!!

I love rhe wisdom of Epictitus. Thanks for sharing 💜🙏

Really interesting insights from so long ago. Thank you for sharing them.

Wise words, I bookmarked for future reference. Thank you

Enjoyed listening and internalizing the content that resonates with me. Thank you.

Hi, Silas, I will get the book you mention by Epictetus—the thoughts you read are an enriching complement to the many Eastern teachings that I’ve been following for many years. It’s helpful that individuals explore the great variety of teachings throughout human history in honing the views and practices that ring true to themselves. Thank you for the insight!

Beautiful quotes, will return to them. Thank you! 🙏💧💟🌊🌿🏵

Love this! Please, please more!!!!
I am so curious about these timeless teachings!
TY!

A wonderful meditation to start my day. Thank you for introducing me to the Stoic Philosophy. I would like to hear more

Thank you for sharing. Great way to start your morning with Stoic philosophy 🙏

So much to think about; as relevant then as it is today. Thank you 🙏🏻

Thank you Silas. I definitely need to read more Stoic Philosophy!

This was a pleasant surprise. I didn’t know what I was in for. I love Greek Mythology and I’m so glad I learned about Epictetus. I’m working on discovering the joy of living life again after one chapter has closed. Thank you for helping me kick off my day. Merry Christmas!

Love this. A beautiful and accessible way to remind myself of Epictetus’ work to set up my morning

Spectacular! This is my basic philosophy for life, but I didn’t know its source. Some of this is strive for, other parts I’ve successfully incorporated into my life. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you Silas. I appreciated this meditation.
Catherine McAvaney