Epictetus, the Enchiridion 1-25

The enchiridion (meaning handbook) is a summary of stoicism that epictetus taught. I'm reading through it and writing down the main points that I get. Each point in the book can be a paragraph or two, or even just a sentence.

I'm taking notes as I read and then writing them up here with clarifications or questions. I don't know how many points there are but I've done 25 for now.

1. What is within our power is opinion, aim, desire, aversion- these are by nature unrestricted and unhindered. What is beyond our power is body, property, reputation, office- these are by definition weak, dependent, restricted and alien. To attribute freedom to things dependent on and that belongs to others will hinder, lament and disturb you. If you take only your own then no one will hurt you, no body will be your enemy and you will suffer no harm. Don't aim towards the attainment of others, you should quit or postpone them and say to any situation "you are but a semblance and by no means the real thing". Examine all things by these rules- is it within our power or beyond our power.

2. Desire demands the attainment of the desired. Aversion demands avoidance of the averred. Failure of desire results in being disappointed and failure of aversion results in being wretched. So we should only shun the undesirable things that are within our power, then we will never be wretched. Do not shun what is beyond our power- remove the habit of aversion. Take the aversion/desire what is beyond our power and apply it to what is within our power. When deciding to pursue or avoid, use discretion, gentleness and do it in moderation.

3. Objects either delight the mind, contribute to use, or are tenderly beloved. Remind yourself what the nature of an object is. (not sure what this means- if you lose something that is tenderly believed, knowing the nature of the object means you can understand why it is you value it and you won't be hurt by it going?)

4. Know the nature of an action, before setting out on the action. Know that you desire to perform the action and keep to your own will- so if something prevents you from taking the action, you can still perform the keeping to your own will. (guessing this means something along the lines of, if you are prevented from carrying out an action, you can still align with your will by changing what you want to do- which you can do only when you acknowledge that when you desire to perform an action, you are also desiring to perform your will)

5. We are disturbed not by things but by our view of these things. When we are hindered or disturbed or grieved, impute it not to others, but ourselves- have our own view of these things. An uninstructed person reproaches others for his misfortunes. A person entering instruction reproaches himself. A perfectly instructed person reproaches no one.

6. Don't be elated at excellence that is not your own. Be elated by good of your own, not on the merit of owning another.

7. In life, if the captain calls, leave all things that called for you and leave. But don't go to far, to re appear when called for.

8. Do not demand for things to happen to you as you wish, but wish for them to happen as they happen.

9. Sickness is an impediment to the body, but it is not necessarily to the will. Therefore everything is an impediment to something, but not yourself truly.

10. Ponder the use of accidents when you come by them.

11. Never say "I have lost it" but " I have restored it". Even if it is a bad man who took it away, it is nothing to you who took it- he let you have it- like a traveler at an inn. (nothing belongs to you, but is borrowed by you, and when you lose it, you are returning it.)

12. It is better to die of hunger than to live with perturbation. "If I neglect my affairs I shall not have a maintenance" - begin with the little things- "this is the price paid for peace and tranquility". It should not be in anybody else's power to cause you disturbance. (Don't live in anxiety making sure every little thing is right, or that other people such as a servant is not bothering you, because they should not have power over you to cause you disturbance)

13. Be content with appearing foolish and dull. Do not wish to appear knowledgeable. It is not easy to keep your will in harmony with nature, and to secure externals. To be involved with one necessitates that you neglect the other. (Don't worry about how you appear to others as dull and knowledgeable because you will have a peaceful life)

14. To wish friends and family to live forever is a foolish wish because it is not in your power, and it does not belong to you. To wish a servant to be without fault is a foolish wish because you wish vice to not be vice. To wish not to be disappointed is within your power. Mans' master is the one who can confer or remove what he seeks or shuns.

15. Anything brought to you- take a moderate share. If it passes you by don't stop it. If you see it, wait for it to reach you. Like a banquet

16. If you see another weeping, know that it is because of his view of the thing and not the thing itself. Do weep with him, but don't weep internally. (don't take on the burdens of others or feel their feelings for them)

17. You are an actor in a dream of the authors' choosing, if they wish it to be short, then your life will short, if they wish it to be long, your life will be long, if they wish you to be a doctor, teacher, anything...that is your part. Act your given part. (be content with what you were given)

18. "Nothing is portended to me (after seeing a bad omen, or encountering a misfortune). But to me, portents are lucky if I will. For whatever happens, it belongs to me to take advantage from."

19. Do not desire to be a general, a senator, or consul, but to be free.

20. It is not he who gives abuse, but our view of this, which is insulting to us. When one provokes you, be assured that it is your own opinion which provokes you.

21. Let death and exile be daily before your eyes.

22. If you have a desire towards philosophy, be prepared to be laughed at. Do not have a supercilious look at others. Keep steadily to what appears best to you. Those who ridicule you will later admire you. If you are conquered by them, you suffer a double ridicule.

23. To turn your attention towards the externals, for the pleasure of anyone, is to ruin your scheme of life. If you wish to appear a certain way to others, simply appear so to yourself, and it will suffice you.

24. Do not be distressed by - "I shall live in discredit and be nobody anywhere." If discredit is an evil, then you cannot be involved in this evil through another then in baseness. It is not your business to get power, so this is not discredit. You are not nobody, because you ought to be somebody in which these things are within your power. "But my friends will be unassisted" - these are not your own power, these are the affairs of others. You can't give to others what you yourself do not have. Do not get these if you want to lose your proper good- what you gain is what is good. You would rather have a faithful friend than money. "My country depends on me" - it is enough to perform well in your own business. You can't serve your country when you have become faithless and shameless.

25. If someone is preferred over you, rejoice that he has them, if they are good. If they are evil don't be grieved that you don't have them. You are unjust if you are unwilling to pay for these things and want them for free. When you do not have something, it means simply that you have not given the payment- the payment still belongs to you.