The Enchiridion is a short manual of Stoic ethics in which Epictetus argues that judgments and intentions alone are within our power, while everything else is not. This deck covers his guidance on desire, aversion, and responding to impressions.
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Chapter 1 · Question
According to Epictetus, which things are within our power?
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Chapter 1 · Answer
Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. These things are by nature free, unrestricted, and unhindered. By contrast, body, property, reputation, office, and whatever is not properly our own affairs are beyond our power and are described as weak, dependent, restricted, and alien.
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According to Epictetus, which things are within our power?
Within our power are opinion, aim, desire, aversion, and, in one word, whatever affairs are our own. These things are by nature free, unrestricted, and unhindered. By contrast, body, property, reputation, office, and whatever is not properly our own affairs are beyond our power and are described as weak, dependent, restricted, and alien.
Chapter 1
What happens if you treat things beyond your power as your own?
Epictetus says that if you attribute freedom to things by nature dependent and take what belongs to others for your own, you will be hindered, lament, be disturbed, and find fault with both gods and men. If instead you claim only what is your own, no one compels or restricts you, you accuse no one, and you suffer no harm.
Chapter 1
What does Epictetus say about pursuing both freedom and power or wealth?
He warns that if you would have these great things and possess power and wealth likewise, you may miss the latter in seeking the former, and you will certainly fail of that by which alone happiness and freedom are procured. He advises quitting some external aims entirely and postponing the rest for now.
Chapter 1
How should you respond to an unpleasing semblance, per Epictetus?
Say to it, “You are but a semblance and by no means the real thing.” Then examine it by the rules you have, first and chiefly asking whether it concerns what is within your power or what is not. If it concerns anything beyond your power, be prepared to say that it is nothing to you.
Chapter 1
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What does Epictetus say happens to one who fails to attain desire, and to one who incurs aversion?
Epictetus states that whoever fails to obtain the object of his desire is disappointed, and whoever incurs the object of his aversion is wretched. He therefore advises shunning only undesirable things within our control, since shunning sickness, death, or poverty risks wretchedness.
Chapter 2
According to Epictetus, why should desire be altogether restrained for the present?
Epictetus argues that desiring things not within our power must necessarily bring disappointment, and that we are not yet secure of the things within our power that are legitimate objects of desire. He therefore advises restraining desire altogether for the present.
Chapter 2
How does Epictetus say we should act when pursuit or avoidance is practically necessary?
Epictetus advises that when it is practically necessary to pursue or avoid something, we should do so with discretion, gentleness, and moderation. This follows his instruction to remove aversion from things not in our power and apply it to undesirable things within our power.
Chapter 2
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What does Epictetus advise you to do when you embrace your child or wife?
Epictetus advises that you remind yourself you are embracing a mortal. He extends this practice to everything you love or use, starting with small things like a favorite cup, which is only a cup. By recognizing the true nature of these attachments beforehand, he argues you will be better able to bear it if they are broken or if the person dies.
Chapter 3
With what kind of objects does Epictetus say you should begin this practice?
He says to begin with the merest trifles, such as a favorite cup. You remind yourself that it is only a cup you are fond of, so that if it breaks you can bear it. Only after practicing on small, low-stakes items does he suggest applying the same reminder to loved ones like a child or wife.
Chapter 3
What benefit does Epictetus claim comes from recognizing the nature of what you love?
He argues that if you remind yourself a cup is only a cup, you can bear it when it breaks, and if you remind yourself a loved one is mortal, you can bear it if they die. The point is to prepare yourself in advance so that loss, when it comes, is more bearable.
Chapter 3
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What does Epictetus advise you to do before undertaking any action?
He advises reminding yourself of the nature of the action and representing to yourself its usual incidents in advance—for bathing, people pouring, pushing, scolding, and pilfering. By previsualizing these, you can go about the action more safely, saying you will keep your own will in harmony with nature.
Chapter 4
According to Epictetus, what should you desire beyond the outward action itself?
He says you should desire not only to bathe but to keep your will in harmony with nature. If an impediment arises in bathing, you can then say it was not only bathing you wanted, and you will not keep your will in harmony if you are out of humor at what happens.
Chapter 4
How does Epictetus say you should respond when an impediment arises during an action?
You should remind yourself that your aim was not only the outward action but keeping your will in harmony with nature. Since you will not keep it in harmony if you are out of humor at things that happen, the impediment becomes a test of maintaining that harmony rather than a reason for irritation.
Chapter 4
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According to Epictetus, what disturbs men?
Epictetus states that men are disturbed not by things themselves but by the views they take of things. He illustrates with death: death is nothing terrible, or it would have appeared so to Socrates. The terror comes from our notion that death is terrible. So when hindered, disturbed, or grieved, we should attribute it not to others but to our own views.
Chapter 5
How does Epictetus illustrate that death is not inherently terrible?
Epictetus argues that death is nothing terrible, since otherwise it would have appeared so to Socrates. The terror, he says, consists in our notion of death—the judgment that it is terrible—rather than in death itself. This serves as his example of how views, not things, produce disturbance.
Chapter 5
What three responses to misfortune does Epictetus distinguish?
Epictetus distinguishes three stages. The uninstructed person reproaches others for his own misfortunes. One entering upon instruction reproaches himself. One perfectly instructed reproaches neither others nor himself. The progression moves from blaming others, to self-blame, to blaming no one at all.
Chapter 5
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According to the chapter, what alone is truly a person's own?
The chapter states that what is your own is the use of the phenomena of existence. External things like a handsome horse belong to the horse, not to you. So if you feel pride, it should rest on something that is genuinely yours—your own good—rather than on qualities or possessions that are not your own.
Chapter 6
What example does the chapter use to illustrate misplaced pride?
The chapter imagines a horse being elated at its own beauty, which it says might be endurable. But a person who is elated and says 'I have a handsome horse' is elated only on the merit of the horse. The example shows that pride in an external possession is pride in something not your own.
Chapter 6
What does the chapter mean by 'excellence not your own'?
It refers to qualities and possessions that belong to something else, such as a horse's beauty. Being elated at these means taking credit for merit that is not yours. The chapter contrasts this with the use of the phenomena of existence, which is the one thing genuinely your own and thus a proper basis for pride.
Chapter 6
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In Epictetus' voyage analogy, what should you do when the captain calls?
Epictetus says that just as a sailor who goes ashore for water must keep his thoughts on the ship, so in life you may accept a wife or child if granted, but when the captain calls you must run to the ship, leave everything, and never look behind.
Chapter 7
Why does Epictetus advise the old never to go far from the ship?
He warns that if you are old you should never stray far from the ship, lest you be missing when called for. The image extends the voyage metaphor: readiness to depart at the captain's call matters especially when the summons is likely to come soon.
Chapter 7
What attitude does Epictetus say to take toward a wife or child in this passage?
He treats them like the shellfish or truffle picked up on shore: there is no objection to receiving them, but they must be left without looking back when the captain calls. The author argues attachment should remain subordinate to readiness to depart.
Chapter 7
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According to Epictetus, how should one describe losing something?
Epictetus advises never saying "I have lost it" but rather "I have restored it." He applies this to a child's death, a wife's death, and confiscated estate, framing each as a return of what was given. The point is to reframe loss as the giver reclaiming what was never truly yours.
Chapter 8
How does Epictetus respond to the objection that a bad man took one's property?
Epictetus asks what it matters by whose hands the giver demands something back. Since the original giver is the one reclaiming it, the character of the intermediary is irrelevant. The author argues one should focus on the fact of return, not on the agent who carries it out.
Chapter 8
What metaphor does Epictetus use for holding possessions?
Epictetus compares possessions to goods held by travelers at an inn: while the giver permits you to possess them, hold them as something not your own. The metaphor stresses temporary custody rather than ownership, so relinquishing them is a return, not a loss.
Chapter 8
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What two anxious reasonings does Epictetus tell the would-be improver to lay aside?
He names fears that neglecting affairs will leave you without maintenance, and that not punishing a servant will make him worthless. The author argues it is better to die of hunger free from grief and fear than to live in affluence with perturbation, and better that a servant be bad than that you be unhappy.
Chapter 9
How does Epictetus say to begin the work of improvement?
Begin with little things, he says. If a little oil is spilled or a little wine stolen, tell yourself this is the price paid for peace and tranquillity, since nothing is to be had for nothing. The author frames small losses as the purchase price of equanimity rather than as disasters.
Chapter 9
What should you consider when you call your servant?
Consider that he may not come when called, or that if he comes he may not do what you wish. Epictetus adds that it is not desirable for the servant, and very undesirable for you, that it be in his power to cause you disturbance.
Chapter 9
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According to the chapter, what must one be content with to improve?
The author advises that if you would improve, you should be content to be thought foolish and dull with regard to externals. You should not desire to be thought to know anything, and even if you appear to others to be somebody, you should distrust yourself.
Chapter 10
Why does the chapter say you cannot secure externals and keep your will in harmony at once?
The author argues it is not easy at once to keep your will in harmony with nature and to secure externals. While you are absorbed in the one, you must of necessity neglect the other. So attention devoted to externals comes at the cost of the harmony of your will.
Chapter 10
What does the chapter advise even when you appear to others to be somebody?
The chapter says that though you should appear to others to be somebody, you should distrust yourself. Combined with not desiring to be thought to know anything, this guards against self-assurance, since keeping the will in harmony with nature and securing externals cannot both be pursued at once.
Chapter 10
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What does Epictetus say is in your own power regarding desire?
Epictetus says that not being disappointed in your desires is in your own power, and he urges you to exercise what is in your power. This contrasts with wishing external things—family, friends, servants—to be other than they are, which lies outside your control and leads to disappointment.
Chapter 11
Who does Epictetus say is a man's master?
Epictetus states that a man's master is he who is able to confer or remove whatever that man seeks or shuns. Therefore whoever would be free should wish nothing and decline nothing that depends on others; otherwise he must necessarily be a slave.
Chapter 11
What must one do to be free, according to Epictetus?
The author argues that whoever would be free must wish nothing and decline nothing which depends on others. Otherwise he must necessarily be a slave. Instead, one should exercise what is in one's own power, since freedom depends on not attaching desire and aversion to things controlled by others.
Chapter 11
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What banquet behavior does Epictetus say we should imitate toward externals?
Epictetus compares life to a banquet: if something is brought round, put out your hand and take a moderate share; if it passes by, do not stop it; if it has not yet come, do not yearn for it but wait until it reaches you. He applies this to children, wife, office, and riches.
Chapter 12
What reward does Epictetus promise to those who can forego things set before them?
Epictetus says that if you do not merely take what is set before you but are able even to forego it, you will not only be worthy to feast with the gods but to rule with them also. He cites Diogenes and Heraclitus and others like them as deservedly becoming divine and being recognized as such.
Chapter 12
Which figures does Epictetus name as examples of becoming divine through this practice?
Epictetus names Diogenes and Heraclitus, along with others like them, as those who by acting this way deservedly became divine and were recognized as such. He presents them as models of the person able to forego, not merely take moderately, the things set before them.
Chapter 12
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According to the chapter, what actually hurts a grieving person?
The chapter says what hurts the man is not the occurrence itself, since another man might not be hurt by it, but the view he chooses to take of it. The author urges you not to be overcome by the apparent evil but to discriminate and say this to yourself when you see someone weeping over a son abroad or losses in his affairs.
Chapter 13
What inner limit does the chapter set on sympathizing with grief?
Outward accommodation is permitted, even groaning with the person if need be, but the author warns: take heed not to groan inwardly too. The point is to keep your own judgment undistrubed by the apparent evil while still behaving sociably. The distinction is between the external manner you adopt and the inner view you actually hold.
Chapter 13
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According to Epictetus, what is the actor's business in the drama of life?
Epictetus says you are an actor in a drama whose sort the Author chooses—short or long, poor man, cripple, ruler, or private citizen. Your business is to act the given part well; choosing the part belongs to another. The author argues that excellence lies in performance, not in selecting one's role.
Chapter 14
What does Epictetus compare a person's role in life to?
He compares it to an actor in a drama of such sort as the Author chooses. The part may be short or long, and may be a poor man, a cripple, a ruler, or a private citizen. The comparison stresses that the role is assigned by another, while acting it well remains the person's own task.
Chapter 14
Who chooses the part a person plays, according to this chapter?
Epictetus states that to choose the part belongs to another—the Author of the drama. The person does not select whether the part is short or long, poor man, cripple, ruler, or private citizen. The individual's responsibility is limited to acting well whatever part is given.
Chapter 14
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According to the chapter, how can a person become unconquerable?
The author argues you become unconquerable by entering no combat in which it is not in your own power to conquer. Since victory depends on things within your control, refusing contests decided by external factors keeps you from defeat. The claim rests on the premise that only what is within our own power is truly good.
Chapter 15
What does the chapter say you should desire instead of being a general, senator, or consul?
The author argues you should not desire to be a general, a senator, or a consul, but to be free. The only way to freedom is a disregard of things which lie not within our own power. So the ambition to be redirected is freedom itself, achieved by dismissing externals rather than pursuing offices.
Chapter 15
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According to Epictetus, who or what actually causes the feeling of being insulted?
Epictetus argues that it is not the person who gives abuse or blows who affronts you, but rather your own view that takes these things as insulting. When someone provokes you, he says, be assured that it is your own opinion that provokes you, not the external act itself.
Chapter 16
What practical first step does Epictetus recommend when provoked?
Epictetus advises that in the first place you try not to be bewildered by appearances. If you once gain time and respite, he says, you will more easily command yourself. The point is to avoid reacting immediately to the initial impression and instead create a delay before responding.
Chapter 16
How does gaining time help you respond to provocation, per Epictetus?
Epictetus argues that if you gain time and respite, you will more easily command yourself. The delay lets you avoid being bewildered by appearances, so your own opinion is less likely to provoke you. Self-command, in his view, comes more easily once the immediate impression has passed.
Chapter 16
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What should a person earnestly pursuing philosophy expect from the multitude?
Epictetus says that if you have an earnest desire toward philosophy, you should prepare from the very first to have the multitude laugh and sneer, saying you have returned a philosopher all at once and asking whence this supercilious look. The ridicule is presented as an expected, initial reaction rather than an unusual setback.
Chapter 17
How does Epictetus advise the aspiring philosopher to respond to ridicule?
He tells the reader not to actually wear a supercilious look, but to keep steadily to those things which appear best, as one appointed by God to this particular station. The advice is to persist in the chosen course rather than to adopt a smug manner or abandon the practice because of mockery.
Chapter 17
What outcome does Epictetus promise if one persists despite ridicule?
He says to remember that if you are persistent, those very persons who at first ridiculed will afterwards admire you. The promised reversal depends on persistence: the same people who mocked initially are said to come around to admiration later.
Chapter 17
What does Epictetus say happens if one is conquered by the mockers?
He states that if you are conquered by them, you will incur a double ridicule. This contrasts with the admiration promised to the persistent: yielding to the multitude's laughter brings a second round of mockery rather than relief, so the chapter frames capitulation as the worse outcome.
Chapter 17
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According to Epictetus, what is the only realm in which one can truly be 'somebody'?
Epictetus argues that a person should be somebody only in the things within their own power, where they may be of the greatest consequence. He dismisses the fear of being 'nobody anywhere' by noting that power and admission to entertainments are not one's own business. Discredit, if it is an evil, cannot come through another, just as baseness cannot.
Chapter 18
How does Epictetus answer the objection that one's friends will go unassisted?
He asks what 'unassisted' means: friends will not get money or Roman citizenship from you. But no one told you these were within your own power; they are the affairs of others, and no one can give what he himself does not have. He adds that a faithful and honorable friend is worth more than a sum of money, so he would rather be helped to gain that character.
Chapter 18
What does Epictetus say about serving one's country through public works?
He argues that the country does not need porticos or baths from you, just as a smith does not provide it shoes nor a shoemaker arms. It is enough that each person fully performs their own proper business. Supplying the state with one faithful and honorable citizen is genuinely useful, so you are not useless to it either.
Chapter 18
What condition does Epictetus set on holding a place in the state?
He says you may hold whatever place you can hold while preserving your fidelity and honor. If in desiring to be useful to the country you lose these, you cannot serve it, since you have become faithless and shameless. He also insists he will pursue money or advancement only if it preserves his honor, fidelity, and self-respect.
Chapter 18
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What price does Epictetus say must be paid for a supper invitation?
Epictetus says such invitations are sold for praise and attendance: you must flatter the host and wait at his door. If you refuse to pay that price, you are not deprived—you keep the equivalent of the obulus you did not spend. He calls it unreasonable and foolish to want the supper while refusing to pay for it.
Chapter 19
How does the lettuce-and-obulus example illustrate Epictetus's point?
Epictetus asks how much lettuces cost—an obulus. If another pays and takes them while you do not pay, he has no advantage over you: he has the lettuces, you have the obulus you kept. Likewise, missing an invitation means you still hold the price you declined to pay, so there is no real loss.
Chapter 19
What does Epictetus say you gain instead of the supper?
Epictetus answers that you do have something in place of the supper: not praising someone you do not wish to praise, and not enduring the insolence of his servants. These are the compensations for declining to pay the price of praise and attendance.
Chapter 19
According to Epictetus, why is it unjust to want externals without paying their price?
Epictetus argues you cannot rival others in externals without using the same means they use—haunting a man's door, attending him, praising him. To want the same share while refusing those means is, he says, unjust and unreasonable: you would have things for nothing that others buy at a price.
Chapter 19
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According to Epictetus, how should we judge misfortunes that happen to ourselves?
Epictetus says the will of nature is learned from things we all agree on: when a neighbor's cup breaks, we call it a casualty that will happen. He argues we should be affected the same way when our own cup breaks, and apply this to greater things, judging our own losses as we judge the same events concerning others.
Chapter 20
What example of a greater loss does Epictetus use to illustrate his point?
Epictetus moves from a broken cup to death: hearing that another's child or wife has died, everyone says, "This is an accident of mortality." But when one's own child dies, the immediate reaction is "Alas! how wretched am I!" He argues we should remember how we are affected when hearing the same thing about others.
Chapter 20
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What does Epictetus say you must do before undertaking any affair?
In every affair, consider what precedes and what follows before undertaking it. Otherwise you begin with spirit but careless of consequences, and when difficulties develop you shamefully desist. He applies this to the Olympic competitor, who must weigh training rules, diet, fixed exercise hours, heat and cold, and possible injury or defeat before committing.
Chapter 21
What hardships does Epictetus list for the would-be Olympic victor?
He must conform to rules, submit to a diet, refrain from dainties, exercise at a stated hour in heat and cold, drink no cold water and sometimes no wine, and give himself up to his trainer as to a physician. In the combat he may be thrown into a ditch, dislocate an arm, turn an ankle, swallow dust, receive stripes, and still lose.
Chapter 21
What must a would-be philosopher expect to give up, according to Epictetus?
He must watch, labor, overcome certain appetites, quit his acquaintances, be despised by his servant, laughed at by those he meets, and come off worse in offices, honors, and before tribunals. Only if he will part with these things to purchase serenity, freedom, and tranquillity should he approach philosophy.
Chapter 21
What does Epictetus say about being inconsistent in one's pursuits?
He compares the inconsistent person to children who play wrestler, gladiator, trumpeter, or tragedian after seeing shows, and to an ape mimicking what it sees. Such a person is now a philosopher, now an orator, pleased by each new thing until it becomes familiar. He insists you must be one man, either good or bad, cultivating reason or externals.
Chapter 21
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According to Epictetus, how are duties universally measured?
Epictetus states that duties are universally measured by relations. From each relationship—father, brother, neighbor, citizen, commander—you can deduce the corresponding duty. The measure comes from the tie itself, not from the other person's behavior, so you consider what you are to do rather than what they do.
Chapter 22
How should you respond to an unjust brother, per Epictetus?
Epictetus advises preserving your own just relation toward him. Consider not what he does but what you are to do to keep your will conformable to nature. He adds that another cannot hurt you unless you please, and you are hurt only when you consent to be hurt.
Chapter 22
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According to Epictetus, what is the essence of piety toward the gods?
The author argues that piety consists in forming right opinions of the gods—believing they exist and govern the universe justly and well—and in resolving to obey and willingly follow them through all events as being ruled by perfect wisdom. This prevents faulting the gods or accusing them of neglect.
Chapter 23
Why does Epictetus say people reproach and blame the gods?
Because they suppose things outside their own power to be good or evil. When disappointed of what they wish or incurring what they avoid, they blame the authors of those things. Every creature naturally flees what appears hurtful and pursues what appears beneficial, so one who thinks himself hurt cannot rejoice in the apparent cause.
Chapter 23
How does Epictetus connect regulating desires with piety?
He argues that where our interest is, there piety is directed. Whoever carefully regulates desires and aversions as he ought thereby becomes careful of piety too. Examples include a son reviling a father who withholds seeming goods, and Polynices and Eteocles becoming enemies because empire seemed good to both.
Chapter 23
What does Epictetus say about how sacrifices and offerings should be performed?
He says everyone should offer libations, sacrifices, and first fruits according to the customs of his country—purely, not heedlessly or negligently, and neither avariciously nor extravagantly. This follows his point that regulating desires makes one careful of piety.
Chapter 23
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What does Epictetus say we already know before consulting a diviner?
Epictetus says that before consulting a diviner you already know the nature of the event: if it lies among things not within our own power, it can be neither good nor evil. You come only to learn what the outcome will be, not whether it is good or bad.
Chapter 24
How should one approach divination, according to Epictetus?
Come without desire or aversion, since those make you approach trembling. First understand that every event is indifferent to you and that you can make right use of it, which no one can hinder. Then come with confidence to the gods as counselors, and remember whose advice you neglect if you disobey.
Chapter 24
When does Epictetus say we should NOT consult the oracle?
Not when reason or another art can discover the matter, and not when it is our duty to share danger with a friend or country. Even if the diviner forewarns unfavorable auspices—portending death, mutilation, or exile—reason directs us to stand by friend and country regardless.
Chapter 24
Which example does Epictetus cite of a god rejecting a neglectful person?
Epictetus calls reason the greater diviner and cites the Pythian God, who once cast out of the temple the man who neglected to save his friend. The point: reason directs us to stand by friend and country even at the risk of death, mutilation, or exile.
Chapter 24
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According to Epictetus, how should one respond when told someone speaks ill of you?
Epictetus advises not making excuses about what is said, but answering: "He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone." The reply treats the accuser's partial knowledge as the real problem, deflecting the insult with self-aware humor rather than defensiveness.
Chapter 25
What topics does Epictetus call vulgar for conversation, and what should one do among strangers?
He lists gladiators, horse races, athletic champions, food, and drink as vulgar topics, and especially warns against blaming, praising, or comparing men. If able, redirect company to proper subjects; but among strangers, Epictetus says be silent.
Chapter 25
How does Epictetus advise behaving at public spectacles?
Attend only on proper occasions, and wish only that things be as they are and the best man win, so nothing goes against you. Abstain entirely from acclamations, derision, and violent emotions, and afterward do not discourse much on the show, since that would reveal you were dazzled by it.
Chapter 25
What does Epictetus say about mentioning your own actions and dangers in company?
Avoid frequent and excessive mention of your own actions and dangers. However agreeable your risks are to you, they are not equally agreeable to others to hear. He also warns against trying to excite laughter, which may slide you into vulgarity and lower you in acquaintances' esteem.
Chapter 25
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What delay tactic does Epictetus advise when dazzled by promised pleasure?
Epictetus advises letting the affair wait your leisure and procuring yourself some delay. When dazzled by the semblance of a promised pleasure, you should guard against being bewildered by it rather than acting immediately. This pause creates room to weigh the pleasure against its consequences before committing.
Chapter 26
What two points of time does Epictetus say to bring to mind?
Bring to mind both the time in which you shall enjoy the pleasure and the time in which you will repent and reproach yourself after enjoying it. Set against these how you will rejoice and applaud yourself if you abstain. The comparison of future regret with future self-approval is meant to outweigh the pull of the moment.
Chapter 26
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What does Epictetus say choosing the largest share is suitable for?
The author argues that choosing the largest share is very suitable to the bodily appetite, but utterly inconsistent with the social spirit of the entertainment. The act is not condemned as harmful to the body; it is condemned as out of place in a shared meal.
Chapter 27
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According to the chapter, what is the proper measure of possessions?
The chapter states that the body is to everyone the proper measure of its possessions, just as the foot is the measure of the shoe. If you stop at this measure you keep it, but if you move beyond it you are carried forward as down a precipice.
Chapter 28
What happens once a thing exceeds the fit measure, per the chapter?
The chapter says that to that which once exceeds the fit measure there is no bound. Using the shoe example, if you go beyond its fitness to the foot, it first becomes gilded, then purple, then studded with jewels, showing that excess has no natural stopping point.
Chapter 28
How does the chapter illustrate excess with a shoe?
The chapter compares possessions to a shoe measured by the foot. If a shoe goes beyond its fitness to the foot, it comes first to be gilded, then purple, then studded with jewels. This shows how moving past the fit measure leads to endless escalation rather than satisfaction.
Chapter 28
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According to the chapter, at what age do women begin to be flattered as mistresses?
The chapter states that women from fourteen years old are flattered by men with the title of mistresses. Because they perceive they are regarded only as qualified to give men pleasure, they begin to adorn themselves and place all their hopes in that adornment.
Chapter 29
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According to Epictetus, why does a person who wrongs or reviles you act as he does?
Epictetus says the person acts or speaks from an impression that it is right for him to do so. It is not possible for him to follow what appears right to you, only what appears right to himself. So if he judges from false appearances, he is the one hurt, since he is also the person deceived.
Chapter 30
When someone takes a true proposition to be false, who is harmed, according to the chapter?
The chapter states that the proposition is not hurt; only the man who holds the false judgment is deceived and therefore hurt. Epictetus uses this to show that a person who judges from false appearances injures himself rather than the target of his words or acts.
Chapter 30
What practical response does Epictetus recommend when someone reviles you?
He advises setting out from these principles so you will meekly bear with the person who reviles you. On every occasion you should say, "It seemed so to him." This rests on the idea that the reviler follows his own impression of what is right, not yours.
Chapter 30
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According to Epictetus, how many handles does everything have, and what distinguishes them?
Epictetus says everything has two handles: one by which it may be borne and another by which it cannot be borne. The choice of handle determines whether a situation can be endured, so the same circumstance can be approached in a bearable or unbearable way depending on which handle one grasps.
Chapter 31
How does Epictetus advise handling a brother who acts unjustly?
Epictetus advises not to take hold of the affair by the handle of the brother's injustice, since by that handle it cannot be borne. Instead one should grasp the opposite handle: that he is your brother and was brought up with you. Taking hold this way makes the matter bearable.
Chapter 31
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What logical error does Epictetus identify in claims like 'I am richer, therefore superior'?
Epictetus argues these reasonings have no logical connection. The valid inference is only that the richer person's possessions exceed the other's, or the more eloquent person's style surpasses the other's. Concluding superiority of the person does not follow, because a person consists neither in property nor in style.
Chapter 32
What does Epictetus say a person does not consist in?
Epictetus states that a person consists neither in property nor in style. This grounds his rejection of inferring personal superiority from wealth or eloquence: those qualities are external to what a person truly is, so comparisons of possessions or style cannot establish superiority of the person.
Chapter 32
XLV3 cards
According to the chapter, how should you describe someone who bathes hastily?
The chapter says you should not say the person does it ill, but only that he does it hastily. Likewise, one who drinks much wine should be described as drinking a great deal, not as doing ill. The point is to state the observed behavior rather than add a judgment of good or bad.
Chapter 33
Why does the chapter warn against calling someone's action ill?
The chapter asks: unless you perfectly understand a person's motives, how should you know if he acts ill? Since motives are not fully visible, judging the action as bad goes beyond what you actually comprehend. The author argues you should withhold that verdict until you understand the reasons behind the behavior.
Chapter 33
What benefit does the chapter promise from describing actions without judging them?
The chapter says that by not calling actions ill, you will not risk yielding to appearances except those you fully comprehend. Withholding judgment keeps you from assenting to impressions you do not actually understand. The author presents this as a safeguard against being carried away by incomplete appearances.
Chapter 33
XLVI4 cards
According to Epictetus, how should a person demonstrate philosophical principles?
Epictetus advises never proclaiming yourself a philosopher or talking much among the ignorant about your principles, but showing them through actions. At an entertainment, one should not discourse on how people ought to eat but simply eat as one ought. He cites Socrates, who avoided all ostentation and bore being overlooked well.
Chapter 34
How does Epictetus describe Socrates' behavior regarding ostentation?
Epictetus says Socrates universally avoided all ostentation. When people came to him wanting to be introduced to philosophers, he took them and introduced them, so well did he bear being overlooked. This serves as the model for not making much talk about one's principles among the ignorant.
Chapter 34
What does Epictetus say about silence when the ignorant discuss principles?
He advises that if there should be among the ignorant any discussion of principles, be for the most part silent. He warns there is great danger in hastily throwing out what is undigested. This connects to his point that one should display the actions produced by digested principles rather than the principles themselves.
Chapter 34
What sign indicates you have truly begun your philosophical work, per Epictetus?
Epictetus says that if anyone tells you that you know nothing and you are not nettled at it, then you may be sure you have really entered on your work. He compares this to sheep, which do not hastily throw up grass to show shepherds how much they ate, but digest it inwardly and produce wool and milk outwardly.
Chapter 34
XLVII3 cards
According to the chapter, how should you behave if you drink water?
The author advises not to boast about it or announce on every occasion, "I drink water." Frugal nourishment of the body should not become a source of pride. Instead, consider how much more frugal and patient of hardship the poor are than we are.
Chapter 35
What does the chapter say about exercising to endure labor and privation?
If you would inure yourself by exercise to labor and privation, do it for your own sake, not for the public. Do not attempt great feats; instead, when violently thirsty, just rinse your mouth with water and tell nobody.
Chapter 35
Whom does the author say we should compare ourselves to regarding frugality?
The author directs us to consider how much more frugal the poor are than we are, and how much more patient of hardship. This comparison is meant to curb pride in one's own frugal habits rather than to invite self-congratulation.
Chapter 35
XLVIII2 cards
How does Epictetus distinguish the vulgar person from the philosopher?
The author argues the vulgar person never looks for help or harm from himself but only from externals, while the philosopher looks to himself for all help or harm. This contrast frames the whole chapter: the vulgar person depends on outside things, the philosopher locates both benefit and injury within his own will and conduct.
Chapter 36
What caution does the proficient practice, and what does he restrain?
The author argues the proficient goes about with the caution of a convalescent, careful of interference with anything doing well but not yet quite secure. He restrains desire and transfers his aversion only to things that thwart the proper use of his own will. He employs his energies moderately and does not care if he appears stupid or ignorant.
Chapter 36
XLIX4 cards
Why does Epictetus say a person has nothing to be vain about in interpreting Chrysippus?
Epictetus argues that if Chrysippus had written clearly, the interpreter would have nothing to boast of; the obscurity of the writings is what creates the occasion for vanity. He adds that understanding an author's meaning is not itself valuable—only putting the instructions into practice is.
Chapter 37
What does Epictetus desire, and why does he turn to Chrysippus?
Epictetus says his desire is to understand nature and follow her. Asking who interprets nature, he hears it is Chrysippus and has recourse to him. Since he does not understand Chrysippus's writings, he seeks someone to interpret them—so far, he insists, there is nothing to value himself upon.
Chapter 37
What does Epictetus say one becomes if one admires only the interpretation?
He says that if you admire merely the interpretation, you become no more than a grammarian instead of a philosopher—except that you interpret Chrysippus rather than Homer. The valuable thing is not the interpretation but making use of the instructions.
Chapter 37
Why does Epictetus blush when asked to read Chrysippus aloud?
He blushes because he cannot exhibit actions that are harmonious and consonant with Chrysippus's discourse. For Epictetus, the interpreter's instructions are only worth something when put into practice, so reciting the text while failing to live by it is a source of shame rather than pride.
Chapter 37
L4 cards
How does Epictetus say you should treat the rules you have adopted?
Epictetus says to abide by your adopted rules as if they were laws, and to regard transgressing them as impious. He adds that you should not regard what anyone says of you, since that is no concern of yours. He urges you to demand the noblest improvements of yourself now rather than delaying self-reformation.
Chapter 38
What does Epictetus say about waiting for a master as an excuse to delay?
Epictetus asks what other master you are waiting for as an excuse for delay, noting you have already received and been conversant with the philosophic principles. He says you are no longer a boy but a grown man, and that adding procrastination to procrastination means you will accomplish nothing and remain of vulgar mind.
Chapter 38
How does Epictetus describe the present moment of choice?
Epictetus says to think yourself worthy of living as a grown man and proficient, letting whatever appears best be an inviolable law. When pain, pleasure, glory, or disgrace is set before you, remember that now is the combat and now the Olympiad comes on, and it cannot be put off; by one failure or defeat honor may be lost or won.
Chapter 38
What example does Epictetus give of someone who became perfect?
Epictetus says Socrates became perfect, improving himself by everything and following reason alone. He tells the reader that though you are not yet a Socrates, you ought to live as one seeking to be a Socrates. This follows his claim that whatever appears best should be an inviolable law.
Chapter 38
LI3 cards
What are the three topics of philosophy, and which does Epictetus call most necessary?
Epictetus names three: first, the practical application of principles (e.g., we ought not to lie); second, demonstrations of why they hold; third, the logic giving strength and connection to demonstrations. The third is necessary because of the second, and the second because of the first, but the first is most necessary and the point whereon we ought to rest.
Chapter 39
According to Epictetus, what mistake do people make about the three topics?
The author argues people do the opposite of what they should: they spend all their time on the third topic, the logic of demonstrations, and employ all their diligence there while entirely neglecting the first, practical application. The result is that while they lie, they are very ready to show how it is demonstrated that lying is wrong.
Chapter 39
What maxims does Epictetus say we should have ready at hand?
He lists several: Cleanthes' lines bidding Zeus and Destiny conduct him wherever decreed, following cheerfully or else being compelled; a fragment saying whoever yields properly to Fate is deemed wise and knows Heaven's laws; Socrates' words in Crito, "if it thus pleases the gods, thus let it be"; and from the Apology, that Anytus and Melitus may kill him but cannot hurt him.
Chapter 39
Source and licence
Text used: Project Gutenberg eBook #45109 (Public domain in the United States). Generated from the full text; cards paraphrase the source.
Version: Public domain edition. Retrieved 2026-10-18. Cards reviewed 2026-10-18.
These cards paraphrase the text for study. They are not a substitute for reading the book, and they do not reproduce long passages.
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