Scott > Scott's Quotes

“There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power or our will. ”
― Epictetus

“It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
― Epictetus

“It is impossible for a man to learn what he thinks he already knows.”
― Epictetus

“Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems”
― Epictetus

“Don't hope that events will turn out the way you want, welcome events in whichever way they happen: this is the path to peace.”
― Epictetus, Discourses and Selected Writings

“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 provocation. Which is why it is essential that we not respond impulsively to impressions; take a moment before reacting, and you will find it easier to maintain control.”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

“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 significance.”
― Epictetus

“Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself.”
― Epictetus

“First say to yourself what you would be;
and then do what you have to do.”
― Epictetus

“Tentative efforts lead to tentative outcomes. Therefore, give yourself fully to your endeavors. Decide to construct your character through excellent actions and determine to pay the price of a worthy goal. The trials you encounter will introduce you to your strengths. Remain steadfast...and one day you will build something that endures: something worthy of your potential.”
― Epictetus

“Difficulty shows what men are.”
― Epictetus

“If you want to improve, be content to be thought foolish and stupid.”
― Epictetus

“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.”
― Epictetus

“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
― Epictetus

“He who laughs at himself never runs out of things to laugh at.”
― Epictetus

“If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, "He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.”
― Epictetus

“Any person capable of angering you becomes your master;
he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.”
― Epictetus

“Asked, Who is the rich man? Epictetus replied, “He who is content.”
― Epictetus, The Golden Sayings of Epictetus

“I must die. Must I then die lamenting? I must be put in chains. Must I then also lament? I must go into exile. Does any man then hinder me from going with smiles and cheerfulness and contentment?”
― Epictetus

“To accuse others for one's own misfortune is a sign of want of education. To accuse oneself shows that one's education has begun. To accuse neither oneself nor others shows that one's education is complete.”
― Epictetus

“Don't seek to have events happen as you wish, but wish them to happen as they do happen, and all will be well with you.”
― Epictetus

“A ship should not ride on a single anchor, nor life on a single
hope”
― Epictetus, The Golden Sayings of Epictetus

“Freedom is secured not by the fulfilling of men's desires, but by the removal of desire.”
― Epictetus, The Discourses

“You become what you give your attention to.”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness

“Small-minded people blame others. Average people blame themselves. The wise see all blame as foolishness”
― Epictetus

“Never depend on the admiration of others. There is no strength in it. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source. It is not to be found in your personal associations, nor can it be found in the regard of other people. It is a fact of life that other people, even people who love you, will not necessarily agree with your ideas, understand you, or share your enthusiasms. Grow up! Who cares what other people think about you!”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness, and Effectiveness

“People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.”
― Epictetus, Enchiridion

“The more we value things outside our control, the less control we have.”
― Epictetus, Discourses and Selected Writings

“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.”
― Epictetus

“It is unrealistic to expect people to see you as you see yourself.”
― Epictetus, The Art of Living: The Classical Manual on Virtue, Happiness and Effectiveness