52 Quotes by Epictetus (A Greek Stoic Philosopher): Epictetus was a Greek philosopher who lived from around 55 CE to 135 CE. He was born as a slave in Hierapolis, Phrygia (Pamukkale, Turkey).
52 Best Quotes by Epictetus
“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’.”
“The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”
“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
“Nature have given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.”
“If you find yourself acting to impress others, or avoiding action out of fear of what they might think, you have left the path.”
“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.”
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
“Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”
“It’s better to live with one person of high soul and to be calm and independent than to lead a miserable life in the society of many.”
“Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.”
“No man is free who is not a master of himself.”
“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond our power or our will.”
“Just because someone’s single doesn’t mean they’re lonely, just like when someone’s in a crowd doesn’t mean they’re not alone.”
52 Life Quotes by Epictetus
“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
“The fools are cured of grief by time, the clever by their mind.”
“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”
“Other people’s views and troubles can be contagious. Don’t sabotage yourself by unwittingly adopting negative, unproductive attitudes through your associations with others.”
“You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.”
“He who is not happy with little will never be happy with much.”
“First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. Know, first, who you are, and then adorn yourself accordingly.”
“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.”
“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master, he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturb by him.”
“If evil be said of thee, and if it be true, correct thyself, if it be a lie, laugh at it.”
“Small-minded people blame others, average people blame themselves, the wise see all blame as foolishness.”
52 Best Motivational Quotes by Epictetus
“Don’t seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you.”
“No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage.”
“Who is the rich man? He who is content.”
“It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous – even death is terrible only if we fear it.”
“Give me by all means the shorter and nobler life, instead of one that is longer but of less account!”
“No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen.”
“It is unrealistic to expect people to see you as you see yourself.”
“Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men’s desires, but by the removal of desire.”
“Difficulty shows what men are.”
“We must not believe the many, who say that only free people ought to be educated, but we should rather believe the philosophers who say that only the educated are free.”
“If freedom anything other than the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.”
“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.”
“In banquets remember that you entertain two guests, body and soul: and whatever you shall have given to the body you soon eject: but what you shall have given to the soul, you keep always.”
52 Best Inspirational Quotes by Epictetus
“Be careful with who you communicate with. People tend to imitate habits, those with whom we interact we inadvertently adopt their interests, their opinions, their values and their habits interpret events.”
“It’s not a pity that a person was born or died, that he lost his money at home. All this property does not belong to him but it’s a pity if a person loses his true property or his dignity.”
“Good lucks frees many men from punishment, but no man from fear.”
“A smart person fights passion, but a fool becomes its slave.”
“Do not try to seem wise to others. If you want to live a wise life, live it on your own terms and in your own eyes.”
“The essence of philosophy is that a man should so live that his happiness shall depend as little as possible on external things.”
“People shouldn’t have many friends because you’ll get tired of getting knives out of your back.”
“A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.”
“You become what you give your attention to.”
“To ascend the sun, there is no need for prayer, no need for incantation, no, it suddenly begins to send its rays for the joy of all, so do not expect nor applause, nor noise, nor praise to do good – do good deeds voluntarily – and be loved like the sun.”
“People are happy to find an excuse for their transgressions, while philosophy teaches not to stretch, without thinking, even a finger.”
“What you don’t desire for yourself, don’t desire others, you don’t like to be a slave – don’t make others a slave.”
“Envy is the enemy of the happy.”
Epictetus’ teachings have had a lasting impact on Western philosophy and continue to inspire individuals seeking guidance on how to navigate life’s challenges with grace and resilience.
Also Read: 200 Most Powerful Quotes That Can Change Your Life