Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Enchiridion 37 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Enchiridion 37
If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Enchiridion 37, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/37
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesTaking on a role beyond what you can handle makes you look foolish in it, and it also means you neglect the smaller role you could have filled well.
Themes and situations
- Pride and humility
- Learning and progress
- Duty and roles
- Virtue and character
- Failure and mistakes
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