Meditations
whoever longs for things that are not within his power, or seeks to avoid them, can neither be trustworthy nor free, but must necessarily be subject to change, and be tossed in all directions along with those things, and is inevitably placing himself under the domination of other people, namely, those who can secure or prevent such things; [20] and
... See moreEpictetus • Discourses, Fragments, Handbook (Oxford World's Classics)
Epictetus would then tell the prospective student that if he wishes to have a good life, he must consider his nature and the purpose for which God created him and live accordingly; he must, as Zeno put it, live in accordance with nature. The person who does this won’t simply pursue pleasure, as an animal might; instead, he will use his reasoning ab
... See moreWilliam B. Irvine • A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy
The human soul degrades itself: i. Above all, when it does its best to become an abscess, a kind of detached growth on the world. To be disgruntled at anything that happens is a kind of secession from Nature, which comprises the nature of all things. ii. When it turns its back on another person or sets out to do it harm, as the souls of the angry d
... See moreMarcus Aurelius • Meditations: A New Translation (Modern Library)
And are you not ashamed, Socrates, of a course of life which is likely to bring you to an untimely end? To him I may fairly answer: There you are mistaken: a man who is good for anything ought not to calculate the chance of living or dying; he ought only to consider whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong—acting the part of a good man
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