Sublime

“Keep this thought at the ready at daybreak, and through the day and night—there is only one path to happiness, and that is in giving up all outside of your sphere of choice, regarding nothing else as your possession, surrendering all else to God and Fortune.” —EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.4.39

Remind yourself, “What upsets this person is their opinion of what has happened. Another in the same circumstance, taking a different perspective, would react quite differently.”

d'Epictète rapportés par Arrien rappellent sans cesse aux auditeurs du philosophe que la philosophie ne consiste pas dans l'habileté dialectique ou la beauté du langage, mais dans la manière dont on vit la vie quotidienne.

né l’avvezzarmi in siffatta maniera a esimermi dagli obblighi miei verso coloro tra i quali vivo, accampando la scusa dell’urgenza degli affari.

Ask not that events should happen as you will, but let your will be that events should happen as they do, and you shall have

“From the very beginning, make it your practice to say to every harsh impression, ‘you are an impression and not at all what you appear to be.’ Next, examine and test it by the rules you possess, the first and greatest of which is this—whether it belongs to the things in our control or not in our control, and if the latter, be prepared to respond,

Isn’t it the case that ever since the human race came into being, it is from this ignorance that all our errors and all our misfortunes have arisen?