Epictetus makes this bold claim “If you want, you are free. If you want, you will blame no one, you will accuse no one – if you want, everything will happen according to your plan.” (Discourses 1.17.28). His teachings explore how we may achieve this unconditional freedom.
Stoicism, especially as expounded by Epictetus, consists of a few major themes that are repeated over and over again - sometimes in exactly the same way, sometimes in a different way. The first book seems to be a particularly good summary of Stoic principles as taught by Epictetus.
Basic principles: A quick outline
Foundations revolves around ten themes, which are also repeated in other places throughout Discourses. These are:
- Concern yourself with only what is in your power.
Unlike other animals, we have the ability to reason. Reason enables us to not get carried away with first impressions but judge them properly. This is the only thing we need to do to live well. Instead, we concern ourselves with so many external things – such as wealth, reputation, and the way we look – that are irrelevant to our living well. We have control over certain things in life but not over others. We make ourselves miserable by trying to control things that are not under our control and failing to control things that are. Train yourself to be concerned only with what is under your control and not with things that are beyond your control. [1]
- Be content to let things happen as they do. The law of life is to live in accordance with nature. You are responsible only for things under your control. We always have the option of choosing what happens, as it happens. [26, 12, 25]
- Your thinking, not externals, drive your behavior. We act according to the way we think. Our thinking drives our behaviour. By changing our thinking we can act differently. Never blame outside forces for your behaviour. [11]
- Do not place value on external things. It is not antisocial to be self-interested. But placing value on externals makes us become subservient to others and creates conflicts. We create our own problems by choosing to attach value to external things. We are social beings. External things are of no value. Our fear and envy are the result of valuing external things. External impressions can be deceptive. Good and evil come from our choices, not from externals. [19,25, 23, 24, 27, 29]
- Evaluate your first impressions using reason. We get into conflict because different people interpret the same impression differently. Placing value on externals results in contradiction and conflict. [20, 21]
- Don’t give in to your anger or animal instincts. People act in a way that appears right to them. So anti-social people such as thieves are misguided and deserve our pity, not hatred. We get angry at such people because we value external things (such as our property). [3, 18, 28]
- Always act your best. You can handle anything that comes your way. No difficulty in life is unbearable as long as you can find a reason for it. So always act your best, even if you can never be as good as the best. Be diligent in your pursuits. Do not be upset if things don’t happen the way you expect them to. Don’t put yourself above others even when you have authority over them. Don’t seek admiration. Be well-grounded. Be aware of God’s gifts and be constantly thankful. Don’t envy others. You have all the resources you need. Choose the right tool for the right job. For example, to combat a habit, choose a counter habit. You have no reason to complain. You have all the resources you need to cope with any challenge in life. Understand this and don’t complain. God watches over us. Have these principles handy at all times. [2,10, 13, 21, 16, 24, 27, 6, 14, 30]
- Learn to think properly and logically. Beware of rigid thinking. Learn logic so you can think logically. Learn what is important in a given context and don’t be carried away with things that are incidental. We need logic to understand what is true and what is false. [5, 7, 8, 17]
- Practice, not knowledge, results in progress. Nothing happens instantly. Be patient. Difficult times reveal what we are made of. Difficulties are opportunities for training. Play wholeheartedly or leave. Be steadfast in your practice. [4, 15, 24, 29]
- Only you can make you unhappy. Remember your divine aspect and you have no need to worry. Only you – not others – can make you unhappy. Be a citizen of the universe. [9]
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Discourse 1