Epictetus

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Avoid jealousy by staying obscure

  Risk

  High visibility and public applause can trigger fatal jealousy in powerful competitors; sometimes the safest strategy is to disappear from the spotlight.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid suspicious associations

  Integrity

  A leader should maintain a character above suspicion, as false accusations are easy to make but nearly impossible to refute in a corrupt environment.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Prepare for sudden reversals

  Resilience

  Success and wealth can vanish instantly due to political shifts or the whims of powerful figures, requiring mental fortitude to endure sudden loss.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Seek Happiness Within Not Without

  Mindset

  True happiness depends on one's own character and intellect rather than external circumstances like wealth or location. A person can remain unshaken by adversity if they do not tie their well-being to things that can be taken away by others.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Immunity to External Disgrace

  Mindset

  A person who stands above public opinion and does not despise themselves cannot be truly disgraced by others.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• The danger of weak associates

  Team

  In any critical venture, the lack of resolution among partners can lead to betrayal and the collapse of the entire project.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Maintain self-respect in adverse environments

  Resilience

  One must resist the tendency to sink to the level of a degrading environment by maintaining self-respect.

  Source Seekers after God  (opens in a new tab)

• Focus on the core objective

  Leadership

  A leader or speaker should have a single clear aim to move the audience toward excellence rather than seeking personal praise.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Seek Unanxious Temperament

  Mindset

  True satisfaction is found in maintaining a cheerful and unanxious mind rather than seeking temporary physical pleasures.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Probability, argued they, was the guide of life”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Balance of Opposing Forces

  Strategy

  Life and business operate on a law of ebb and flow, where growth and decay are balanced forces.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Focus on Core Identity

  Mindset

  One should distinguish between the temporary physical form and the essential creative thought that drives development.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Cultivate the Master Faculty

  Learning

  Reason is the only faculty that can evaluate itself and all other skills, making it the most important tool for any professional.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Renounce Lower Ends for Freedom

  Strategy

  To achieve high-level mastery and freedom, one must be willing to set aside the pursuit of riches and external authority.

  Supporting quotes

  • “if you hold that only to be your own which is so, and the alien for what it is, alien, then none shall ever compel you”

    “Straightway, then, practice saying to every harsh appearance--_Thou art an Appearance and not at all the thing thou appearest to be”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Integrity as Protection

  Integrity

  A leader should not rely on concealment or walls but on their own character and transparency to feel secure.

  Supporting quotes

  • “Thou wouldst do them good--then do not chatter to them, but show them in thyself what manner of men philosophy can make.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Distinguish Reaction from Judgment

  Mindset

  One cannot stop the initial shock of a crisis, but one can choose whether to agree that the situation is truly a disaster.

  Supporting quotes

  • “But that ratification of them, which we name assent, whereby the appearances are comprehended and judged, these are voluntary, and are done by human choice.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• The Principle of the Open Door

  Resilience

  One should endure difficulties as long as they are profitable, but remember that the choice to leave a situation is always available if it becomes unbearable.

  Supporting quotes

  • “He hath so formed the nature of the reasoning creature that he may never win aught of his own good without he furnish something of service to the common good.”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Align philosophy with public duty

  Career

  One should not use philosophy as an excuse to avoid marriage, parenting, or civic responsibilities.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Match your actions to your labels

  Brand

  A person should not claim a professional or philosophical title if their daily habits and work ethic contradict the standards of that role.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Value Reason Above Material Assets

  Wealth

  The essence of good is not found in land, fame, or physical attributes, but in intelligence and right reason.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source The Teaching of Epictetus: Being the 'Encheiridion of Epictetus,' with Selections from the 'Dissertations' and 'Fragments'  (opens in a new tab)

• Demonstrate Resilience Practically

  Mindset

  True philosophy is not just theory but a practical demonstration that one is equal to any fate through internal resources.

  Supporting quotes

  • “the Cynic tries the extreme of abnegation in order to demonstrate practically that man has resources within himself which make him equal to any fate”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.