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What Would Stoics Do

Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE

Fragments 103 — Epictetus

Translation by George Long (1877)

Epictetus, Fragments 103

Crows devour the eyes of the dead, when the dead have no longer need of them. But flatterers destroy the souls of the living and blind their eyes.
— Epictetus, Fragments 103 · tr. George Long (1877)Read in context →

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Epictetus, Fragments 103, tr. George Long (1877)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/103

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

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Crows pick at the eyes of the dead, who no longer need them, but flatterers blind and ruin the minds of the living. Flattery does more harm than a scavenger's feast.

Themes and situations

  • Friendship
  • Speech and silence
  • Virtue and character
  • Judgements and impressions
  • Handling success

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Epictetus, Fragments 103, tr. George Long (1877)