The Stoic Who Had No Name

They thought he was not important for him to have his own name.

They thought that a former slave couldn’t do much to change the world.

They were wrong.

Epictetus, the Stoic philosopher whose name literally means “The Acquired One,” left Rome when his last master freed him.

His next, and final stop, was the powerful city of Nicopolis in Greece, where Emperor Augustus had made a stop during the Civil War against Mark Antony two centuries ago.

There, a dedicated student of Epictetus, Adrian, assembled Epictetus’s lessons in a four-volume book, The Discourses, and later summarized them into a smaller one, The Enchiridion, literally meaning “Ready at hand.”

Here are three laws that stand out particularly well from Epictetus.

“If your choices are beautiful, so too will you be.”

He wasn't just referring to physical beauty but also to genuine human behavior. This applies to both.

Once you get to know her, a gorgeous woman who is self-obsessed can become unattractive. Similarly, a man with bulging muscles from steroids and no other concerns isn't all that impressive.

So, if you want to improve your appearance, start with your choices, motivations, and intentions.

“Do not seek for events to happen as you wish, but rather want them to happen as they do happen, and your life will go well.”

Life brings challenges. You choose to rise or let them bury you.

Face them head-on, and see the bad as a chance to grow. It's your choice.

It’s what you can do. It's what you must do.

“Some things are in our control and others are not. Under our control are our opinion, pursuit, desire, aversion, and, in a word, our own actions. Things not in our control are body, property, reputation, command, and, in one word, whatever are not our own actions.”

You can work out regularly and eat well, but you can still get ill or injured.

You can make millions but have them stolen by your business partner or a market crash.

You can, however, decide not to eat the candy on the table because you have a goal to chase. This is under your control.

Understand this simple truth and watch half of your problem go away. Because you choose to see the difference and take responsibility for your actions.

Till next time,

Said The Stoic

PS. A new video is coming this week about 7 lessons to handle disrespect. Stay tuned.