“Practice yourself in little things, and thence proceed to greater.”
Author detail
Epictetus (c. 55 – 135 AD) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He was born a slave at Hierapolis, Phrygia (present day Pamukkale, Turkey) and lived in Rome until his banishment, when he went to Nicopolis in northwestern Greece for the rest of his life. His teachings were written down and published by his pupil Arrian in his *Discourses* and *Enchiridion*. **Source**: [Epictetus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epictetus) on Wikipedia.
Quotes
Showing 21-40 of 107
“Practice yourself in little things, and thence proceed to greater.”
“If you would be a reader, read; if a writer, write.”
“Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.”
“Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”
“Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. Th...”
“Remember, it is not enough to be hit or insulted to be harmed, you must believe that you are being harmed. If someone succeeds in provoking you, realize that your mind is complicit in the pr...”
“Most of what passes for legitimate entertainment is inferior or foolish and only caters to or exploits people's weaknesses. Avoid being one of the mob who indulges in such pastimes. Your lif...”
“What really frightens and dismays us is not external events themselves, but the way in which we think about them. It is not things that disturb us, but our interpretation of their significan...”
“Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?”
“It is our attitude toward events, not events themselves, which we can control. Nothing is by its own nature calamitous -- even death is terrible only if we fear it.”
“Whoever is going to listen to the philosophers needs a considerable practice in listening.”
“When a youth was giving himself airs in the Theatre and saying, 'I am wise, for I have conversed with many wise men,' Epictetus replied, 'I too have conversed with many rich men, yet I am no...”
“An ignorant person is inclined to blame others for his own misfortune. To blame oneself is proof of progress. But the wise man never has to blame another or himself.”
“As a man, casting off worn out garments taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, entereth into ones that are new.”
“If you want to make progress, put up with being perceived as ignorant or naive in worldly matters, don't aspire to a reputation for sagacity. If you do impress others as somebody, don't alto...”
“Remember to act always as if you were at a symposium. When the food or drink comes around, reach out and take some politely; if it passes you by don't try pulling it back. And if it has not...”
“The first and most important field of philosophy is the application of principles such as “Do not lie.” Next come the proofs, such as why we should not lie. The third field supports and arti...”
“The philosopher's school, ye men, is a surgery: you ought not to go out of it with pleasure, but with pain. For you are not in sound health when you enter.”
“God save me from fools with a little philosophy—no one is more difficult to reach.”
“Philosophy does not promise to secure anything external for man, otherwise it would be admitting something that lies beyond its proper subject-matter. For as the material of the carpenter is...”