Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Enchiridion 9 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Enchiridion 9
Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will itself chooses. Lameness is an impediment to the leg, but not to the will. And add this reflection on the occasion of everything that happens; for you will find it an impediment to something else, but not to yourself.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Enchiridion 9, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/enchiridion/9
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesIllness or a disability can get in the way of your body, but not of your will unless you let it. For anything that happens, ask what it actually obstructs, and you will find it blocks something other than your own ability to choose well.
Older wording
- “impediment”
- — an obstacle
Themes and situations
- Illness and the body
- What is in our control
- Resilience and endurance
- Acceptance and fate
- Illness or diagnosis
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