Discourses & Selected Writings by Epictetus
I've spent the last six months or so slowly working through the Robert Dobbins translation of Discourses and Selected Writings, by Epictetus.
I was exposed to Stoicism by Ryan Holiday—like many others—and after that read "Meditations" by Marcus Aurelius and listened to "How To Be A Stoic" by Massimo Pigliucci. I find stoic ethics to be highly practical and useful, and when trying to figure out where to go next I found this useful reading list on the Stoicism Reddit.
Epictetus is one of three primary sources of stoicism—along with Seneca and Marcus Aurelius—for which we still have complete works. He was a Greek philosopher born into slavery, but eventually earned his freedom and taught stoic ethics in both Rome and Greece. The discourses were actually written down by Epictetus's student, Arrian.
In these writings, Epictetus makes it clear how important it is that we learn how to perceive the world around us and react to it with intention and reason. We are capable of scrutinizing our impressions and deciding whether we should assent to them or not based on whether they are reasonable:
"So it’s only appropriate that the gods have given us the best and most efficacious gift: the ability to make good use of impressions."
Learning to recognize what we are and are not in control of is a key tenant of stoicism and something that Epictetus talks about consistently:
"Where is progress, then? If there is anyone who renounces externals and attends instead to their character, cultivating and perfecting it so that it agrees with nature, making it honest and trustworthy, elevated, free, unchecked and undeterred; and if they’ve learned that whoever desires or avoids things outside their control cannot be free or faithful, but has to shift and fluctuate right along with them, subject to anyone with the power to furnish or deprive them of these externals; and if from the moment they get up in the morning they adhere to their ideals, eating and bathing like a person of integrity, putting their principles into practice in every situation they face – the way a runner does when he applies the principles of running, or a singer those of musicianship – that is where you will see true progress embodied, and find someone who has not wasted their time making the journey here from home."
This book is dense and challenging at times, but I did appreciate how blunt and cutting (and funny) Epictetus could be.
There's plenty that went over my head I'm sure, but the final section of this collection is called The Enchiridion—commonly translated to "The Handbook" or "The Manual"—and serves as a nice distillation of his ideas in only a few pages.
I've added a few of the highlights that resonated with me most below.
Overall: 60
I use the 20-80 scale to rate things. For nonfiction books I just use one overall rating, while for fiction books I have four different sub-categories.
Highlights
- "So it’s only appropriate that the gods have given us the best and most efficacious gift: the ability to make good use of impressions."
- "In short, we do not abandon any discipline for despair of ever being the best in it."
- "Where is progress, then? If there is anyone who renounces externals and attends instead to their character, cultivating and perfecting it so that it agrees with nature, making it honest and trustworthy, elevated, free, unchecked and undeterred; and if they’ve learned that whoever desires or avoids things outside their control cannot be free or faithful, but has to shift and fluctuate right along with them, subject to anyone with the power to furnish or deprive them of these externals; and if from the moment they get up in the morning they adhere to their ideals, eating and bathing like a person of integrity, putting their principles into practice in every situation they face – the way a runner does when he applies the principles of running, or a singer those of musicianship – that is where you will see true progress embodied, and find someone who has not wasted their time making the journey here from home."
- "If a man objects to truths that are all too evident, it is no easy task finding arguments that will change his mind. This is proof neither of his own strength nor of his teacher’s weakness. When someone caught in an argument hardens to stone, there is just no more reasoning with them."
- "Furthermore, you have inner strengths that enable you to bear up with difficulties of every kind. You have been given fortitude, courage and patience. Why should I worry about what happens if I am armed with the virtue of fortitude? Nothing can trouble or upset me, or even seem annoying. Instead of meeting misfortune with groans and tears, I will call upon the faculty especially provided to deal with it."
- "Against sophistry one should have the practice and exercise of rational argument. Against specious impressions one should have clear preconceptions polished and ready to hand."
- "Every habit and faculty is formed or strengthened by the corresponding act – walking makes you walk better, running makes you a better runner. If you want to be literate, read, if you want to be a painter, paint. Go a month without reading, occupied with something else, and you’ll see what the result is. And if you’re laid up a mere ten days, when you get up and try to walk any distance you’ll find your legs barely able to support you. So if you like doing something, do it regularly; if you don’t like doing something, make a habit of doing something different."
- "Just keep in mind: the more we value things outside our control, the less control we have."