Quotes by Epictetus

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

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

“No matter what happens, it is within my power to turn it to my advantage.”

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

“Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”

“Don't be concerned with other people's impressions of you. They are dazzled and deluded by appearances. Stick with your purpose. This alone will strengthen your will and give your life coherence.”

“If someone speaks badly of you, do not defend yourself against the accusations, but reply; "you obviously don't know about my other vices, otherwise you would have mentioned these as well”

“We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.”

“You become what you give your attention to...If you yourself don't choose what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will, and their motives may not be the highest.”

“Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.”

“When we blather about trivial things, we ourselves become trivial, for our attention gets taken up with trivialities. You become what you give your attention to.”

“Let silence be your general rule; or say only what is necessary and in few words.”