Discourses and Selected Writings

A central part of how to apply Epictetus’s philosophy to everyday life is constantly distinguishing between what we control and own and what we do not control and own. This means, as Epictetus himself says, “What philosophy has taught me […] is to be indifferent to events beyond the will’s control” (71). For Epictetus, this is the essence of philosophical wisdom.

In practice, the distinction entails total control over one’s emotions, even in response to traumatic events, such as the loss of a job or the death of a loved one, or to existential issues like one’s awareness of death. For Epictetus, we cannot control the circumstances and events we face, only our reactions to or, as he terms it, our “impressions” of them. Even if someone else wrongs us, we should strive to maintain a stoic indifference because “no one is undone by the actions of others” (68), but rather by our reaction to the actions of others. As he says, “The best and most important thing is under our control and the basis of God’s own well-being—the use of external impressions” (210).

Another method Epictetus advises is to apply this distinction rigorously to our desires and our hatreds.