Timeless Stoic Wisdom by Epictetus: From Slavery to Philosophical Master

Below are 100 of Epictetus’s most resonant maxims. Use them as daily prompts to foster resilience, wisdom, and a life of true self-mastery.

1–20: Foundations of Inner Freedom

• Some things are in our control and others not.

• Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of them.

• It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.

• Don’t explain your philosophy. Embody it.

• No man is free who is not master of himself.

• Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

• If you wish to improve, be content to appear foolish and stupid.

• First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

• Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.

• When someone is properly grounded in life, they shouldn’t have to look outside themselves for approval.

• Make the best use of what is in your power, and take the rest as it happens.

• He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

• A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single hope.

• If you need a witness to your virtue, be your own.

• Circumstances don’t make a man, they only reveal him to himself.

• Keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

• It is not death or pain that is to be feared, but the fear of pain or death.

• Reject your sense of injury, and the injury itself disappears.

• Welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.

• What we desire makes us vulnerable.

21–40: Cultivating Resilience

• Difficulties show what men are.

• If you wish to be loved, love.

• Do not seek for things to happen as you wish; wish them to happen as they do happen.

• People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.

• It’s not what happens to you, but how you react that matters.

• What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgments about them.

• Any person capable of angering you becomes your master.

• Most people are impulsive; having committed, they persist, causing confusion.

• Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes; give yourself fully to your endeavors.

• Be slow to speak, quick to listen.

• To accuse oneself shows that one’s education has begun.

• When we are invited to a banquet, we take what we find; if it passes us by, we wait.

• As in walking, avoid nailing your foot; so in life, avoid hurting your mind.

• If a man wants to pursue philosophy, his first task is to throw away conceit.

• Why do you walk as if you had swallowed a ramrod?

• Practice yourself, for heaven’s sake, in little things; from them proceed to greater.

• He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.

• What else can I do, a lame old man, but sing hymns to God?

• Remember that you ought to behave in life as you would at a banquet.

• No man has ever been so fortunate as not to owe something to misfortune.

41–60: Mastery of Judgment

• Examine your impressions before accepting them.

• Judge events by their nature, not by fear or desire.

• It is our opinions that make us unhappy, not events.

• Silence is a lesson learned through life’s many noises.

• Name things as they are, without adding judgments.

• Be indifferent to that which makes no difference.

• Don’t be deceived: true wealth is inward.

• Change your opinions; keep to your principles.

• Virtue alone deserves the name of good.

• Wisdom consists in distinguishing between necessary and unnecessary.

• A calm mind brings inner strength and self-confidence.

• True power lies in self-knowledge.

• Self-examination is the path to self-mastery.

• Lead me, Zeus, and you, Fate, wherever you have assigned me.

• Fate guides the willing and drags the reluctant.

• What progress have I made? I have begun to be a friend to myself.

• Observe each event as if in a mirror.

• A horse does not say ‘I am better’ for trappings, but for swiftness.

• A bad feeling is a commotion of the mind repugnant to reason.

• True strength is adapting your will to what happens.

61–80: Practical Ethics

• Associate with those who make you better.

• Instruct the willing and dismiss the unwilling.

• To accuse others is to accuse yourself.

• Be not ungrateful, even to those who do you wrong.

• He who spares the wicked injures the good.

• Benefits, as well as injuries, depend on the spirit in which they are conferred.

• Receiving a benefit with gratitude is the first installment of its repayment.

• We should give as we would receive: quickly, cheerfully, without hesitation.

• Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.

• Wherever there is a human being, there is an opportunity for kindness.

• He who fears death will never do anything worthy of life.

• No loss is more regrettable than losing our time.

• Sickness is an impediment to our judgments, not to our reason.

• It does not matter what you bear but how you bear it.

• Loss is simply change, and change is Nature’s delight.

• When you are offended at another’s fault, turn to yourself and study your own.

• Bear and forbear!

• To err is human, to persist in error is diabolical.

• Greatness of spirit is unshaken, balanced, and stable.

• Be content with granted things, as if they were your own.

81–100: Flourishing Through Virtue

• Nothing happens to anyone that he can’t endure.

• A man’s happiness depends on the quality of his thoughts.

• Happiness is a good flow of life.

• Live as if at any moment you might be called away.

• Perceive before you react.

• Adversity reveals genuine friends.

• Virtue alone is the highest good.

• You are a little soul carrying around a corpse.

• Train your desires to want only what happens.

• What concerns me is not things themselves but how people think things are.

• As long as you live, keep learning how to live.

• A wise person takes discipline as delight.

• Treat every act of kindness as sacred.

• Let gratitude transform your day.

• Find joy in what you already have.

• Practice love without attachment.

• Be ready to give up everything except virtue.

• To live well is to live in accord with Nature.

• Virtue is sufficient for happiness.

• Remember: the door is always open—your will remains free.

Closing Reflections

Epictetus demonstrated that ultimate freedom is not found in fortunate circumstance, but by mastering one’s judgments and living with intention. These 100 timeless maxims offer a practical guide for transforming adversity into advantage, cultivating steadfastness, and living each day in accordance with wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance. Let these teachings be a daily handbook—reminding you that the journey from adversity to inner mastery lies within reach of every willing soul.