Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Fragments 46 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Fragments 46
Do not hang your house round with tablets and pictures, but decorate it with moderation (σωφροσύνη): for the one is of a foreign (unsuitable) kind, and a temporary deception of the eyes; but the other is a natural and indelible, and perpetual ornament of the house.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Fragments 46, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/46
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesFill your home with self-restraint rather than expensive paintings and decor. Art is a borrowed, short-lived pleasure for the eyes, but a restrained character is a lasting adornment that cannot be taken from you.
Older wording
- “moderation”
- — self-restraint
- “tablets”
- — painted panels or plaques
- “indelible”
- — permanent, impossible to erase
Themes and situations
- Simplicity and frugality
- Wealth and poverty
- Virtue and character
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Money, status and wanting more
Quote cards
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