A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion
1888
A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion
1888
Translated by George Long
Two thousand years ago, a former slave carved philosophy into something you could actually live. Epictetus didn't care about abstract debates or elegant systems. He had one question: what can you actually control? The answer, both simple and radical: your thoughts, your desires, your reactions. Everything else, wealth, reputation, the actions of others, the body itself, isn't yours to command. The Encheiridion, a pocket manual of 93 sharp teachings, distills this insight into something you can return to daily. The Discourses, longer and more discursive, show it in action: how to face grief without being destroyed, how to want nothing while having little, how to die without regret. This isn't passive resignation. It's the hardest kind of freedom, the kind you build from the inside out. Epictetus wrote for people exhausted by wanting, by fearing, by measuring their lives against what they couldn't hold. The world hasn't changed. The solution still works.
About A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion
Chapter Summaries
- Biographical Note
- Details the sparse known facts about Epictetus's life: born in Hierapolis, enslaved in Rome under Epaphroditus, studied with Musonius Rufus, gained freedom, and taught in Nicopolis. Emphasizes that he wrote nothing himself—all teachings come through Arrian's records.
- 1
- Establishes the fundamental Stoic distinction between what is within our control (our will, judgments, desires) and what is not (external circumstances). Only the rational faculty can examine itself and determine proper action.
- 2
- Argues that rational beings should only be troubled by what is irrational, not by external circumstances. We should not sell our will cheaply but maintain our character regardless of consequences.
Key Themes
- Freedom and Slavery
- Epictetus argues that true freedom comes not from external circumstances but from mastery over one's own will and judgments. Physical slavery cannot touch the soul's liberty.
- Control and Acceptance
- The central Stoic principle that we must distinguish between what is 'up to us' and what is not, focusing our energy only on what we can control while accepting what we cannot.
- Virtue as the Sole Good
- Material possessions, health, reputation, and even life itself are 'indifferent'—only virtue and vice are truly good or evil, as they alone are within our power to choose.
Characters
- Epictetus(protagonist)
- A former slave turned Stoic philosopher who teaches principles of virtue, wisdom, and inner freedom. He emphasizes the distinction between what is within our control and what is not.
- Arrian(major)
- Student and disciple of Epictetus who recorded the philosopher's teachings in the Discourses. He serves as the conduit through which Epictetus's wisdom reaches posterity.
- Socrates(major)
- Ancient Greek philosopher frequently cited by Epictetus as an exemplar of virtue and wisdom. He represents the ideal of living according to philosophical principles.
- Musonius Rufus(minor)
- Stoic philosopher who was Epictetus's teacher during his time as a slave in Rome.
- Epaphroditus(minor)
- Epictetus's former master, a freedman of Emperor Nero who allowed his slave to study philosophy.
- Chrysippus(minor)
- Earlier Stoic philosopher whose works are referenced throughout the text as examples of philosophical study.
