Discourses and Selected Writings of Epictetus (19th century classics illustrated edition) in modern English

Protect your own good and all that you do, and as concerns everything else, take what is given as far as you can make reasoned use of it. If you don't, you'll be unlucky, prone to failure, hindered, and stymied.

And then he says in Discourses 4.1, No, it is events that give rise to fear. When another has power over them or can prevent it, that a person becomes able to inspire fear.

You know, Marcus Aurelius' life is changed in his 20s when his philosophy teacher, Junius Rusticus gives him a copy of Epictetus' lectures.

And, you know, he's writing about it as an old man in meditations like, you know, that he's so grateful that he loaned him this copy of this book.

So let's pick up Epictetus, flick through it. What might Epictetus say about this?

Epictetus clearly thinks that power corrupts. He says you can't ride two horses at the same time at one point. Like you can't serve two masters. You have to decide, you know, whether you want to pursue a life of virtue or is your number one goal to be in politics. And he kind of, the way he phrases it, he says basically you're not going to be a very good politician.

And he says, how does the bull know that it can kill a lion? I didn't know that bulls could kill lions, actually.

They can fight off a lion if they're strong enough. Like, they throw them up in the air on their horns and mess them up pretty badly. So Epictetus apparently knows this.

How is it possible that some bulls know... Again, the calves, like the heifers can't defend themselves against lions. But the strongest bull in the herd can fight off lions.

It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities, a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance and a sense of gratitude.

Without gratitude, what is the point of seeing?

And without seeing, what is the object of gratitude?

That's Epictetus's Discourses 321.

I look back at some of my early writings and I'm doing exactly what Epictetus is talking about.

I'm just regurgitating things that I've heard.

Whenever disturbing news is delivered to you, bear in mind that no news can be relevant to your reasoned choice. Can anyone break news to you that your assumptions or desires are wrong? No way! But they can tell you someone died. But even so, what is that to you?

"The beautiful and good person neither fights with anyone..." Epictetus says in Discourses.

according to Epictetus, no man should ever profess to be a philosopher, but that each should leave his character to be inferred from his actions.

Epictetus's lectures were recorded and published by one of his students. But it's the example of his life rising from slavery and overcoming literal torture to become a great man worthy of teaching an emperor that makes these works worth reading.

Gregory Hayes, a translator of Epictetus, our favorite, we even published our own edition of his meditations.

we don't abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them

what is it then to be properly educated he asks is it learning to apply our natural preconceptions to the right thing according to nature and beyond that to separate the things that lie within our power from those that don't

a degree on a wall means you're educated as much as shoes on your feet mean that you're walking it's a start but it's hardly sufficient otherwise how would so many educated people make unreasonable decisions or miss so many obvious things

only the educated are free

The remembrances of epic teetus as Marcus would refer to this gift most gratefully which Rousticus supplied me out of his own library.

perhaps this is even the book that Marcus was referring to half seriously when he said he needed to throw away his books because they were consuming all his attention

it's impossible to learn that which you think you already know

if you want to improve you have to be content to look stupid

Every situation has two handles one will bear weight the other won't

look the chief task in life is simply this to identify and separate matter so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control and which have to do with the choices I actually control where then do I look for good and evil not in uncontrollable externals but within myself to the choices that are my own

If a man objects to truths that are all too evident it is no easy task finding arguments that will change his mind.

when someone caught in an argument hardens to stone there is just no more reasoning with them now a person can suffer two kinds of petrification that of the intellect and that of the sense of honor when somebody assumes a defiant stance resolved neither to a scent to self evident truths nor leave off fighting

We don't care if he is a deadening of the body and we'll do anything to avoid it about the deadening of the soul however we don't care one Iota even in the case of the soul we regard a man as pitiful if he is deficient in thinking or learning.

Do you realize that you are awake no any more than when I dream and I have the impression that I am awake and is the one impression in no way different from the other no can I go on reasoning with such a person.

What fire or iron can be applied to him to make him conscious of his condition he senses it but pretends he doesn't that makes him even worse off than a corpse one person does not notice a contradiction in his reasoning he is unfortunate another person notices it all right but does not budge and does not back down he is even more unfortunate.

One of the greatest works of philosophy ever created a work that inspires Marcus Aurelius the Emperor of Rome, that inspires POWs and Vietnam 2000 years later as they go through isolation and torture and loneliness.

These are the discourses, meaning that it wasn't written down. It was recorded by a student of the one and only Epic Titus.

And these discourses about how we manage to be good in a world that's so bad, how we seize what we control when so much is outside of our control, how we find freedom, happiness and peace, confidence. It's all right here in the writings of Epic Titus.

Marcus Aurelius loved it. James Stockdale loved it.

In fact, as he parachuted down into Vietnam, he said, leaving the world of technology and entering the world of Epic Titus, he haven't read this book. You absolutely should. It's totally life-changing.

Whoever is making progress after learning from philosophers that desire is directed toward good things and avoidance directed toward bad and having also learned that impassivity and a good flow of life are not attained except through honoring desire and unfailing avoidance that person will do away with desire altogether or else defer it to another time and exercise avoidance only on things within the moral sphere because they know that if they try to avoid anything outside the moral sphere they are going to run into something contrary to their aversion in face disaster.

So how is it that although we are now agreed about the nature of virtue we still try to demonstrate progress in areas that are unrelated what is the goal of virtue after all except a life that flows smoothly so who is making progress the person who has read many of Christophe's books is virtue no more than this to become literate in Christophe's because if that's what it is then progress cannot be done.

Look for it in your volition friend that is in your desire and avoidance make it your goal never to fail in your desires or experience things you would rather avoid try never to err on impulse and repulsion.

Aim to be perfect also in the practice of attention and withholding judgment but the first subjects are the most essential if you aim to be perfect when you are still anxious and apprehensive how have you made progress.

Don't put your purpose in one place and expect to see progress made somewhere else.

I love just thinking man rustic is gave markets are really a copy of these lectures and that's what so shaped inform this guy's life and so shaped informed his philosophy is understanding of stoicism.

And I'm bringing that episode from epic teetus is discourses now we carry a copy of this here at the bookstore I like the penguin classics translation best myself and like I said this was read by Michael Reed.

Man the rational animal can put up with anything except what seems to him irrational.

Whatever is rational is tolerable.

Physical hardships are not intolerable by nature. The Spartans for instance gladly submit to being whipped because they are taught that it is done for good reason.

But what about being hanged? Isn't that intolerable? Well, people frequently go and hang themselves whenever they judge that it is a reasonable course of action.

In short, reflection will show that people are put off by nothing so much as what they think is unreasonable and attracted to nothing more than what to them seems reasonable.

protect your own good and all that you do and as concerns everything else take what is given as far as you can make reasoned use of it if you don't you'll be unlucky prone to failure hindered and stymied

There's a bunch of different translations. I like the Penguin Classics translation.

Robin Waterfeld has a new translation of Epictetus. It's also quite good.

In today's episode, we're reading one from an older translation.

You can grab any of the translations of Epictetus from the Painted Porch, grab them anywhere books are sold.

Book one concerning what is in our power and what is not.

it is easy to praise Providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance in a sense of gratitude without gratitude what is the point of seeing and without seeing what is the object of gratitude

I've only started reading that I've got discourses that's my first foray into the actual material and my impression is that it's not the same as reading fiction where you're not going to plow through 40 pages all at once.

So this would be like if it turns out that one of your college professors is considered in retrospect to one of the wisest people that ever lived and I went through a box of stuff in your basement and I found your notes from that class, right?

So I think Epictetus is good to read in chunks, to really like, you know, to read a few paragraphs at a time.

But you can read, it might be good to read these two side by side, the painted porch or sorry, The Art of Living and the discourses.

Or that a fighter pilot like James Stockdale could rely on epictetus in the middle of the jungles of South Asia all those years ago?

Epictetus's discourses

My reason choice is as indifferent to the reason choice of my neighbor and as to his breath and body. However much we've been made for cooperation, the ruling reason in each of us is a master of its own affair.

I've only started reading that i've got the discourses that's my first for a into the actual material and my impressions that it's not the same as reading fiction where you're not going to plow through 40 pages all.

so so it's always important to and this is why the intros of the books are really important but whenever I read an ancient text of philosophy i also go and I read the Wikipedia page i try to read some articles about it i try to read the Wikipedia page of the author

but you can tell us from the title because it's called discourses but it's not even his. Version of the discourses what happened is you know 2000 years ago epictetus is giving some lectures and one of his students area in is there writing it down so this is like if you this would be like if it turns out that one of your college professors is considered in retrospect one of the wisest people that ever lived.

I think epictetus is good to read in chunks to really like you know to read a few paragraphs at a time I like I mentioned some of the Princeton University press editions of like specific collections where it's sort of organized by themes there's also an even more accessible edition of epictetus it's so accessible that some people sort of object to the translations but Sharon Lebel did a book called the art.

Throw out your conceded opinions for it as impossible for a person to begin to learn that what she thinks he already knows from epictetus.

Ask yourself the following first thing in the morning. What am I lacking in attaining freedom from passion? What for tranquility? What am I? A mere body and a stateholder or reputation? None of these things. What then? A rational being. What then is demanded of me? Meditate on your actions.

How did I steer away from serenity? What did I do that was unfriendly, unsocial and uncaring? What did I fail to do in all these things? That's from Epictetus's discourses 4.6.

And then epictetus's discourses which we actually open The Daily Stoic with. So I'll riff on that in a second but he says look, the chief task in life is simply this. To identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control and which have to do with the choices I actually control.

whenever you experience the pangs of losing something don't treat it like a part of yourself but as a breakable glass so when it falls you will remember that and won't be troubled

so too whenever you kiss your child or sibling or friend don't layer on top of that the experience of all the things you might wish but hold them back and stop them just as those who might ride behind triumphate generals remind them that they are mortal in the same way remind yourself that your precious one isn't one of your possessions just something given for now but not forever

that's epictetus's discourses 324

men the philosophers lecture hall is a hospital shouldn't walk out of it feeling pleasure but pain for you weren't well when you entered it

we don't abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them

Every great power is dangerous for the beginner. Epictetus says in discourses 3-13, you must therefore wield them as you are able but in harmony with nature.

Remember that it is not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subject and subjugates us but also the desire for peace leisure travel and learning it doesn't matter what the external thing is the value we place on it subjugates us to another where our heart is set there are impediment lies.

just as one person delights in improving this farm and another is horse so I delight in attending to my own improvement day by day

This is why Stockdale read Epictetus when he was training to become a fighter pilot and why he returned to it after he was released as a prisoner of war even writing his own book about it courage under fire.

don't trust in your reputation, your money or position but in the strength that is yours. Namely your judgments about the things you control and don't control for this alone is what makes us free and unfettered that picks us up by the neck from the depths and lifts us eye to eye with the rich in the powerful.

we don't abandon our pursuits because we despair of ever perfecting them that's discourses one two well being is realized by small steps

people as as Epictetus says who despair of progress because it's not perfection they never get there but the person who shows up and does work every day gets there

It is easy to praise providence for anything that may happen if you have two qualities, a complete view of what has actually happened in each instance and a sense of gratitude. Without gratitude, what is the point of seeing and without seeing what is the object of gratitude?

That's from Epictetus' Discourses 3-1. Contemporary notions of beauty are ridiculous.

In making yourself that kind of person you will become beautiful. To the extent you ignore these qualities, you will be ugly even if you use every trick in the book to appear beautiful.

And I think if we really summarize what Epictetus is saying, he's like, beautiful people make beautiful choices. Or that beautiful choices make beautiful people.

Remember that it is not only the desire for wealth and position that debases and subjugates us, but also the desire for peace, leisure, travel and learning. It doesn't matter what the external thing is. The value we place on it subjugates us to another, where our heart is set, there are impediment lies.

What am I lacking in attaining freedom from passion? What for tranquility? What am I? A mere body, an estate holder, a reputation? None of these things. What then? A rational being. What then is demanded of me?

Meditate on your actions. How did I steer away from serenity? What did I do that was unfriendly, unsocial, and uncaring? What did I fail to do in all these things?

That's from Epictetus' Discourses 4.6.

Who then is invincible, the one who cannot be upset by anything outside their reasoned choice?

There is only one path to happiness and that is in giving up all that is outside your sphere of choice regarding nothing else as your possession, surrendering all else to God and fortune.

We're told that Toussaint Le Venture read Epictetus while he languished in one of Napoleon's prisons.

At Theodore Roosevelt's birthplace in Manhattan, you can even see a copy of Epictetus and Marcus Aurelius that Teddy read as he lay dying in a Brazilian jungle.

Are you wrestling with ego? There are so many great meditations for Marcus Aurelius and Epictetus about this.

Injured or facing a disability? Epictetus knows all about it.

Epictetus addresses this directly in his discourses. He says, putting things off and deferring the day to which you will attend to yourself, to which you will get serious about these things. What does this mean? He says, it means you will live and die as someone quite ordinary.