Skip to content
What Would Stoics Do

Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE

Enchiridion 8 — Epictetus

Translation by George Long (1877)

Epictetus, Enchiridion 8

Seek not that the things which happen should happen as you wish; but wish the things which happen to be as they are, and you will have a tranquil flow of life.
— Epictetus, Enchiridion 8 · tr. George Long (1877)Read in context →

Cite this passage

Epictetus, Enchiridion 8, tr. George Long (1877)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/8

Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences

Read The Enchiridion in context →

In plain English

AI-written notes

Stop demanding that events match your wishes and instead learn to want things to turn out as they do, and your life will run smoothly and calmly.

Themes and situations

  • Acceptance and fate
  • Peace of mind
  • Desire and craving
  • What is in our control
  • Anxiety about the future
  • A career setback

Quote cards

The opening line of this passage as an image, with its citation — for sharing or keeping.

Epictetus, Enchiridion 8, tr. George Long (1877)