Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE
Fragments 49 — Epictetus
Translation by George Long (1877)
Epictetus, Fragments 49
To be eager that your house should be admired by being whitened with gypsum, is the mark of a man who has no taste: but to set off (decorate) our morals by the goodness of our communication (social habits) is the mark of a man who is a lover of beauty and a lover of man.
Cite this passage
Epictetus, Fragments 49, tr. George Long (1877)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/49
Epictetus, Enchiridion and Fragments, tr. George Long (1877). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesFussing over making your house look impressive shows poor taste. A person who truly loves beauty and loves people dresses up their character instead, through the way they treat and talk with others.
Older wording
- “gypsum”
- — white plaster used to whiten walls
- “communication”
- — social habits, how you interact with others
Themes and situations
- Reputation and others' opinions
- Simplicity and frugality
- Pride and humility
- Virtue and character
- Kindness and forgiveness
- Money, status and wanting more
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