Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.

— Epictetus

You are but an appearance, and not absolutely the thing you appear to be.

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

- Epictetus

#3goodthings #ThreeGoodThings
1) Spouse keeps copies of #Epictetus and #MarcusAurelius on the shelf. I only dip into them occasionally, but they are there when needed. (Seems the right time for #Stoic reminders that what I control is my response to idiocy unfurling around us.)
2) More student papers marked up. It is satisfying to complete something complicated.
3) Getting to pick up kiddo from swim is a pleasure. Gives us space to just talk or listen to music daily. Grabbing time while I can!

“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”

- Epictetus

To a longer and worse life, a shorter and better is by all means to be preferred.

𝗢𝘂𝗿 𝗹𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗱 𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗹𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗱.

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will.

Some things are in our control and others not. Things in our control are opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, whatever are our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our actions.

— Epictetus

That’s why the philosophers warn us not to be satisfied with mere learning, but to add practice and then training. For as time passes we forget what we learned and end up doing the opposite, and hold opinions the opposite of what we should. - Epictetus ##stoicmindset #meditation #Epictetus

These are the signs of a wise man: to reprove nobody, to praise nobody, to blame nobody, nor even to speak of himself or his own merits.

— Epictetus

“Make the best of what's up to us and take everything else as it comes.”

Epictetus speaks to us from 2,000 years in the past with words of wisdom that are relevant to all people at all times.

https://open.substack.com/pub/thephilosophygarden/p/epictetus-on-how-to-react-to-events?r=1fzzx&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

Remember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to maintain control.

— Epictetus

« Nature hath given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak. »

― Epictetus

· https://poligraf.tumblr.com/post/729568168574615552/nature-hath-given-men-one-tongue-but-two-ears

« No thing great is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. Let it first blossom, then bear fruit, then ripen. »

― Epictetus

· https://poligraf.tumblr.com/post/727576928436011008/no-thing-great-is-created-suddenly-any-more-than

Continuing on with the line-by-line commentary on Epictetus' short Stoic work, the Enchiridion, here's a discussion about what is going on in chapter 38

https://medium.com/practical-rationality/chapter-38-of-epictetus-enchiridion-explained-841355e19b67
#Epictetus #Stoicism #Philosophy #Commentary #Enchiridion #Handbook

Here's the next portion of my commentary on Epictetus' short Stoic work, the Enchiridion, this one on chapter 36, which can be a bit puzzling to readers, focused on contradictions

https://medium.com/practical-rationality/chapter-36-of-epictetus-enchiridion-explained-0e487ea6a629
#Epictetus #Enchiridion #Commentary #Stoicism #Philosophy #Contradiction

« A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope. »

― Epictetus

· https://poligraf.tumblr.com/post/723226390277799937/a-ship-should-not-ride-on-a-single-anchor-nor