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What Would Stoics Do

Epictetus · c. 50 – c. 135 CE

Fragments 77 — Epictetus

Translation by George Long (1877)

Epictetus, Fragments 77

Attempt on every occasion to provide for nothing so much as that which is safe: for silence is safer than speaking. And omit speaking whatever is without sense and reason.
— Epictetus, Fragments 77 · tr. George Long (1877)Read in context →

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Epictetus, Fragments 77, tr. George Long (1877)

https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/epictetus-fragments/77

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

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When in doubt, choose the safe course, because silence is safer than talking. Do not say anything that lacks sense or purpose.

Themes and situations

  • Speech and silence
  • Self-discipline and habit
  • Preparing for difficulty
  • Conflict at work

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Epictetus, Fragments 77, tr. George Long (1877)