No man is free who is not master of himself.

Epictetus

Born a slave, taught the Roman elite

50–135 · Stoicism

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Epictetus was born into slavery, was crippled by his owner, and ended up running the most respected philosophy school in the Greek world. He wrote nothing himself; everything we have was taken down by a student. His whole system fits in one distinction — some things are up to you, most are not — and he is merciless about which is which.

Read when you are furious at something you were never going to be able to control

It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.

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Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.

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First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

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We have two ears and one mouth so that we can listen twice as much as we speak.

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Everything Epictetus said, one at a time.

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