Enchiridion

“It is the act of an ill-instructed man to blame others for his own bad condition; it is the act of one who has begun to be instructed, to lay the blame on himself; and of one whose instruction is completed, neither to blame another, nor himself.”

“Remember that it is not the person who insults you or strikes you who offends you, but your opinion about these things as being offensive. When a man then irritates you, you must know that it is your own opinion which has irritated you.”

“The condition and characteristic of an uninstructed person is this: he never expects from himself profit (advantage) nor harm, but from externals. The condition and characteristic of a philosopher is this: he expects all advantage and all harm from himself.”

“Some things are in our power, and others are not.”

“And the things in our power are by nature free, not subject to restraint or hindrance; but the things not in our power are weak, slavish, subject to restraint, in the power of others.”

“Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things; for example, death is nothing terrible, for if it were it would have seemed so to Socrates; for the opinion about death that it is terrible, is the terrible thing.”

“Whoever then wishes to be free let him neither wish for anything nor avoid anything which depends on others: if he does not observe this rule, he must be a slave.”

“For this is your duty, to act well the part that is given to you; but to select the part, belongs to another.”

“You can be invincible, if you enter into no contest in which it is not in your power to conquer.”

“For if the nature of the good is in our power, neither envy nor jealousy will have a place in us.”

“And remember that if you abide in the same principles, these men who first ridiculed will afterwards admire you; but if you have been overpowered by them, you will bring on yourself double ridicule.”

“And who can give to another what he does not have himself?”

“If I can acquire money and also keep myself modest and faithful and magnanimous, point out the way, and I will acquire it.”

“In every act observe the things which come first, and those which follow it; and so proceed to the act.”

“For different men are formed by nature for different things.”

“It is impossible then for a person who thinks that he is harmed to be delighted with that which he thinks to be the cause of the harm, as it is also impossible to be pleased with the harm itself.”

“Immediately prescribe some character and some form for yourself, which you shall observe both when you are alone and when you meet with men.”

“And let silence be the general rule, or let only what is necessary be said, and in few words.”

“When you are going to meet with any person, and particularly one of those who are considered to be of higher status, place before yourself what Socrates or Zeno would have done in such circumstances, and you will have no difficulty in making a proper use of the occasion.”

“For if it is not right to do it, avoid doing the thing; but if it is right, why are you afraid of those who will find fault wrongly?”

“In walking about, as you take care not to step on a nail, or to sprain your foot, so take care not to damage your own ruling faculty; and if we observe this rule in every act, we shall undertake this act with more security.”

“These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you; I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better than you.”

“And when a man says to you that you know nothing, and you are not vexed, then be sure that you have begun the work (of philosophy).”

“And whatever any man says about you, do not attend to it; for this is no affair of yours.”

“And if anything laborious or pleasant or glorious or inglorious is presented to you, remember that now is the contest, now are the Olympic games, and they cannot be deferred; and that it depends on one defeat and one giving way that progress is either lost or maintained.”

“Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will itself chooses. Lameness is an impediment to the leg, but not to the will.”

“On no occasion call yourself a philosopher, and do not speak much among the uninstructed about theorems (philosophical rules, precepts); but do that which follows from them. For example, at a banquet do not say how a man ought to eat, but eat as you ought to eat.”

“Do not ask that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have peace.”

“Make it your study then to confront every harsh impression with the words, 'You are but an impression, and not at all what you seem to be'.”

“If you are fond of a jug, say you are fond of a jug; then you will not be disturbed if it is broken. If you kiss your child or your wife, say to yourself that you are kissing a human being, for then if death strikes it you will not be disturbed.”

“Never say of anything, 'I lost it', but say, 'I gave it back'. Has your child died? It was given back.”

“Everything has two handles, one by which you can carry it, the other by which you cannot.”

“Remember that you are an actor in a play, and the Playwright chooses the manner of it: if he wants it short, it is short; if long, it is long.”

“If some one tells you that so and so speaks ill of you, do not defend yourself against what he says, but answer, 'He did not know my other faults, or he would not have mentioned these alone.'”

“When a man speaks evil or does evil to you, remember that he does or says it because he thinks it is fitting for him. It is not possible for him to follow what seems good to you, but only what seems good to him.”

“When you imagine some pleasure, beware that it does not carry you away, like other imaginations. Wait a while, and give yourself pause. Next remember two things: how long you will enjoy the pleasure, and also how long you will afterwards repent and revile yourself.”

“Therefore make it your first endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away. For if you once gain time and delay, you will find it easier to control yourself.”

“If you ever happen to be diverted to things outside, so that you desire to please another, know that you have lost your life's plan.”

“If you wish to make progress, you must be content in external matters to seem a fool and a simpleton; do not wish men to think you know anything, and if any should think you to be somebody, distrust yourself.”

“You must be one man, good or bad; you must develop either your Governing Principle, or your outward endowments; you must study either your inner man, or outward things.”

“Every man's body is a measure for his property, as the foot is the measure for his shoe. If you stick to this limit, you will keep the right measure; if you go beyond it, you are bound to be carried away down a precipice in the end.”

“If a man washes quickly, do not say that he washes badly, but that he washes quickly. If a man drinks much wine, do not say that he drinks badly, but that he drinks much. For until you have decided what judgement prompts him, how do you know that he acts badly?”

“Is your drop of oil spilt? Is your sip of wine stolen? Say to yourself, 'This is the price paid for freedom from passion, this is the price of a quiet mind.'”

“If you try to act a part beyond your powers, you not only disgrace yourself in it, but you neglect the part which you could have filled with success.”

“It is a sign of a dull mind to dwell upon the cares of the body, to prolong exercise, eating, drinking, and other bodily functions. These things are to be done as secondary matters; all your attention must be given to the mind.”

“When you have adopted the simple life, do not pride yourself upon it, and if you are a water-drinker do not say on every occasion, 'I am a water-drinker.' And if you ever want to train laboriously, keep it to yourself and do not make a show of it.”

“When anything happens to you, always remember to turn to yourself and ask what faculty you have to deal with it.”

“When you go to visit some great man, prepare your mind by thinking that you will not find him in, that you will be shut out, that the doors will be slammed in your face, that he will pay no heed to you.”

“In your conversation avoid frequent and disproportionate mention of your own doings or adventures; for other people do not take the same pleasure in hearing what has happened to you as you take in recounting your adventures.”

“And which do you really prefer? Money, or a faithful, modest friend?”

“Keep before your eyes from day to day death and exile and all things that seem terrible, but death most of all, and then you will never set your thoughts on what is low and will never desire anything beyond measure.”

“And if you are not yet Socrates, you still ought to live as one who would wish to be a Socrates.”

“Do not laugh much, nor at many things, nor without restraint.”

“Remember that you must behave in life as you would at a banquet. A dish is handed round and comes to you; put out your hand and take it politely. It passes you; do not stop it.”