Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Enchiridion 44 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Enchiridion 44
These reasonings do not cohere: I am richer than you, therefore I am better than you; I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am better than you. On the contrary these rather cohere, I am richer than you, therefore my possessions are greater than yours: I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is superior to yours. But you are neither possession nor speech.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Enchiridion 44, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/44
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesBeing richer or more eloquent than someone does not make you a better person, only someone with more property or a better speech. You are neither your possessions nor your talents, so do not rank people, yourself included, by them.
Older wording
- “cohere”
- — fit together logically
Themes and situations
- Pride and humility
- Wealth and poverty
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Envy and comparison
- Judgements and impressions
- Envy and comparison
- Handling success
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