Manual of Epictetus

The Book of Wisdom

Revised By Christian H. Godefroy

ertain things in the world depend on us, and certain others do not. The things that depend on us are our opinions, our movements, our desires, our inclinations, our aversions; in other words, all our actions. The things that do not depend on us are the body, the good fortune, the reputation, the dignity; in other words, all the things not forming part of our actions. The things that depend on us are free by nature, nothing can stop them, they brook no obstacles; the things that do not depend on us are weak by nature, slaves, dependent, subject to thousands of obstacles and inconveniences and belonging to total strangers. Remember then, that, if you think that the things which by their nature are really slaves, as free, and those depending on others as belonging to you, you will have to face obstacles at each step, you will be afflicted, troubled and you will be obliged to complain to God and to men. Instead if you think as yours only those things which really belong to you and as strange which belong to others, never will anyone force you to do anything against your will, nor will anyone hold you back from whatever you want to do, you will not complain to anyone, you will not accuse anyone and you will do nothing, not even the smallest thing against your

will; nobody will hurt you, and you will have no enemies because you will not do anything harmful. Let us aspire then for such great good fortune, remember that you should not work in a mediocre way to achieve them, and regarding the external things, you should entirely renounce quiete a few of them and keep aside the others for sometime later. For if you try to put them together, and you pursue them and these genuine fortune and these riches and this dignity, may be you will not even obtain these latter for having desired the others; but certainly you will miss acquiring the fortunes which can only give you your freedom and your happiness.

n that way, towards all painful imagination, be ready to say: you are merely an imagination, and you are not at all what you appear to be. Then examine it, go deep inside it, and to understand it, make use of the rules that you have learned, mainly the first one, which is to know whether the thing which is painful to you is the part which depends on us or not, and if it is the part which is not in our power, tell yourself without any preference: It is none of my concern.

emember that the aim of your desires, is to obtain what you have desired, what you want; consequently you will not complain to anyone, you will not accuse anyone, you will do nothing, in spite of you, not even the smallest thing; nobody will hurt you, and you will have no enemy for nothing harmful will happen to you.

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et us aspire then for such great good fortune, remember that you should not work in a mediocre way to achieve them, and regarding the external things, you should entirely renounce quiete a few of them and keep aside the others for sometime later. For if you try to put them together, and you pursue them as well as these genuine fortunes and these riches and this dignity, may be you will not even obtain these latter for having desired the others; but certainly you will miss acquiring the fortunes which can only give you your freedom and your happiness. The end to your fears is to avoid what you fear. One who does not obtain what he desires is unhappy, and one who falls in what he fears is miserable. Hence if you have aversion only for the things which are against your true good deed, -those which depend on you,- you will never fall into what you fear. But if you fear death, illness or poverty, you will be miserable. Change then the objects of your fears and make them

go away from the things which do not depend on us to those which depend; and as for your desires suppress them for the moment entirely. For if you desire something which is not in our power then you will necessarily be unhappy; and for the ones which are in our power, you are still not in the state to know what are the things good to be desired. While you are in the process of knowing them , remain contended either to know them or to avoid them, but slowly always with reservation and without any hurry.

n front of all the things that amuse you, which serve your needs or your likes, never forget to ask yourself what is it truly. Start from the very little ones. If you like a mud pot, tell yourself that you like a mud pot, and if it breaks, you should not be troubled. If you like your son or your wife, tell yourself that you like a mortal being; and if the being dies, you should not be troubled.

hen you are on the verge of taking up something, put it clearly in your mind what sort of thing you are up to.

If you are going to take bath, imagine yourself of what are the things happening in a public swimming pool, people

plunge into the water,they push each other, they speak in abusive language and some even steal. You will then go more assuredly to do what you wanted to, if you would have said before: I want to take bath, but I would like to also conserve my liberty and my independence, which are genuine prerogatives of my nature. And likewise for all the things that might come up. For in this manner, if any obstacle hinders you from bathing, you would have this thought ready: I did not want to merely bathe, but I wanted to also conserve my liberty and my independence; I would not have conserved them if I became angry.

hat troubles men are not the things by themselves, but the opinions, which they have on them. For example, death is not something bad, for, if it would have been so, it would have seemed so to Socrates; but our opinion of death is bad and thereby it becomes bad. So when we are upset, troubled or sad, let us not accuse others , but only ourselves, that is to say our opinions.

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ccusing others for ones misfortunes, that is the way of the ignorant; accusing oneself means that the persons has started educating himself; those

who accuse neither themselves nor others are persons already educated.

ever glorify yourself by things belonging to strangers. If one car said with pride: I am beautiful, this could be bearable; but you, when you say with pride: I have a beautiful car, surely you are glorifying owning a beautiful car. What is there belonging to you? The usage which is being done by your imagination. Thus, if the way you imagine is in accordance with the nature, then you shall be able to really glorify yourself, for you shall glorify a good attribute that is your own.

f in a marine voyage, your boat enters a port, and you are allowed to go for taking water, you can on your way pick up shells or pluck a mushroom, but your thought should be always on your boat, and you would often turn your head, in fear of the pilot calling you, and if he calls, you must throw away everything and run, because, if you make him wait, he might throw you in the boat feet and hands bound as a beast. It is the same in this lifes voyage: if instead of a shell or a mushroom we give you a woman or a boy, you can take them; but if the pilot calls,

you will have to run to the boat leaving everything behind, without looking back. And if you are old, do not go away too far from the boat, lest when the pilot calls, you are not in a state to follow him.

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sk not for things to happen as per you desire, but desire that things should happen in their own way, and you shall always prosper.

llness is an obstacle to the body, but not to the will power, unless it weakens the will power.I am lame. This is an impediment to my leg but not at all to my will power. To all accidents that you will have to face, tell yourself the same thing, and you will always find that it is an impediment to something else and not to you.

n each object encounterd remember to introspect and search for the virtue you can utilise out of this object. If you see a handsome boy and a beautiful girl, you will find a virtue against these objects, which is

continence. If it is some grief, some laborious work, you will find courage; if it is some abuses, some insults, you will find resignation and patience. If like this you accustom yourself to face each accident by the virtue given to you by the nature to combat, you will never be carried away by your imagination.

hatever may be the circumstances never say : I have lost this , but I have returned . Your son is dead? You have returned him. Your wife is dead? You have returned her. Your lands have been taken away? Here is still a restitution that you have made. But the one who has taken away my land is a cheat. What does it matter who gave it to you and who has wanted to take it away? During the time he gave it to you, use it as if it does not belong to you, as the tourists use the hotels.

f you would like to advance in the path of wisdom leave all these considerations : If I neglect my business, I shall soon be ruined and not have enough to live on; if I do not punish my employee, he shall become lazy . Because for after having banished all the worries and fears, it is better to die in hunger than live in abundance with anxiety and sorrow. It is preferable that your employee

would be lazy rather than you may become miserable. Start then by little things. Some one has overturned your lamp? Some one has stolen your robe? Tell yourself: It is at this cost that we buy tranquility, it is at this cost that we buy liberty, we can not have something for nothing. When you are calling your employee, think that he may not hear you, or having heard you, he may not obey. But you may say that my employee will take advantage of my patience and will become incorrigible . But yes, you will profit, thanks to him, you will learn to put yourself away from anxiety and trouble.

f you want to advance in the path of wisdom, do not refuse to appear externally , to be like a fool or like a madman. Do not look forward to be seen as a learned man and if you think that you desire to be seen as somebody, challenge yourself. Know that it is not easy to conserve at the same time your will power in conformity with the nature and with the external things ; but it is very much necessary that you should be attached to one and neglect the other. If you want that your children and your wife and your friends would live always, you are a fool; for you want that the things which do not depend on you to depend, and that which is strange you want it to be yours. The same, if you want your employee never to make any mistakes, you are a fool; for instead of his being your employee, if you were his employee that possibly could have been reasonable. If you do not want to be frustrated

by your desires, you can, desire only those things which depend on you.

he true teacher for each one of us is the one who has the power to give us or to discriminate between what we want and what we do not . Each man, who wants to be free, should not want or run after anything which depends on others, else he will necessarily become a slave.

emember that you will have to behave in life as you do in a dinner party. Has a dish come to you? Stretch your hands in a restrained way and, be modest. Is it taken away? Do not retain it. Hasnt it yet come? Do not stretch your desire, but wait for the dish to come at last to you. Behave likewise with your friends, with a woman, with the merchandise and honoured things, with the riches and you will even be honoured to be admitted at the Gods table. And if you do not take what one offers, but know to be pleased with the little that is necessary without giving in to your cravings, only then will you not be the guests of the Gods, but their equal, and you will reign with them. It is by moving like this that Diogenus and Heraclitus

and a few others have merited to be called divine men, which in effect they were.

hen you see someone cry may be because he is in mourning or may be because his son is away abroad or may be because he has lost his properties, beware that your imagination does not carry you far away or does not captivate you in persuading that this man is indeed unhappy due to his external things; but make this distinction within you, that, that which afflicts him, is not the accident with which he met, that moved him to tears, but his opinions. Even then if it is necessary, do not refuse to cry along with him and to sympathise with his grief by your soothing words; but take care that your compassion does not exceed you and that you do not truly be afflicted.

emember that you are an actor in a drama, long or short, where the author wanted you to enter. If he wanted you to act as a beggar, you will have to play that role in the best possible manner. Do the same , if he wanted you to act as a lame man, as a prince, as a man of people. For it is your duty to act well the

character given to you, but the choice to assign you is someone elses.

fine morning, when you see a black cat do not allow yourself to be carried away by your imagination .But immediately discriminate and say : This bad omen does not concern me; the bad things afflict my puny body, or my small riches or my petty reputation, or my children, or my wife. For me, if I so desire there are happy omens only; for whatever happens, it is for me to draw a lesson which shall enrich me.

ou can be invincible, if you never engage yourself in combats which you are not necessarily required to win.

eware of seeing someone heaped with honours, growing tall or flourishing in some other manner, beware, do not allow your imaginatiomn to run

riot and captivate you.That way you will not be happy. For if the essence of the veritable good consists in the things depending on us , then there will be no craving, nor competetiveness nor even jealousy and you yourself would not want to be a big business man, nor a politician, nor a hero in a cinema, but shall be free. Therefore a single way leads us to be free: the contempt of things which do not depend on us.

emember, that it is not the one who insults you nor one who beats you, nor who outrages you but it is the opinion that you have on them, which makes them appear as people by whom you are outraged. Hence, when someone bothers you and irritates, come to know that it is not the man who irritates, but your opinion. Therefore first of all , try hard not to let your imagination run riot; for if you gain some time or delay a bit , you will easily master yourself.

ay the death and the exile and all other things that seem terrible be in front of eyes everyday, above all the death .Then you

would never have low thoughts and you would not have acute desire for anything .

ould you like to become a philosopher ? Prepare yourself all the time for the mockery, and perceive well that the ordinary people will whistle at you and say: this philosopher has come to us overnight. From where did he get his arrogant look? As for you isnt this philosophers look superb; stick firmly to your maxims which seem the best and the most beautiful to you. And remember that, if you remain firm, those who mocked at you first would soon admire; but, if you give in to their insults, you will be mocked all the more.

o not turn your back on the external things just to please somebody. If it happens that way then know that you are fallen from your state. It would suffice to be in every respect a philosopher. And if you want to appear a little more, than a philosopher, be happy in appearing to your own eyes and that is sufficient.

ay not such thoughts and reasonings trouble you: I shall be mocked at, I shall be nothing in the world. For if the mockery is something wrong, you cannot be in the wrong because of others, nor be in vice by yourself. Does he depend on you to be named to a prestigious post? Does he depend on you to be invited to a party? Not at all, then how is it that it is still a scorn and a dishonour to you? How is it possible that you are nothing in the world, you who should be by that alone which depends on you, and by which you can be significant? But my friends will be of no help to me. What do you mean by of no help? You will not give them money? Will you not invite them to spend their vacations with you? Who then has told you that these things are within our power, and they belong to us, and none other. Who can give to others, who himself has nothing?

ccumulate fortunes, someone will say, so that we also have them. If I can have them by conserving the sense of propriety, modesty, fidelity, magnanimity, show me the way to become rich, and I would become. But if you want me to lose my true fortunes so that you obtain the false ones, see for yourself how badly the scales are tipped, and to what degree you are ungrateful and ill considered.What do you prefer more ? Money or a wise and faithful friend? Oh! Help me rather to acquire these virtues, and do not oblige

me to do things which will me make me lose these virtues. But you will say My town will not get any services. What services? It will not have any gifts from you? It will not have any new hospital? So what ? It is enough if everyone fills his area and does his work. But if, by your example, you give a wise, modest and faithful inhabitant to your town, wont you give it any service? Certainly, you will give it one and a big one; you will not be useless to it. Then what rank shall I have in the city ? The status which you will obtain by conserving faithfulness and modesty. But if, wanting to serve, you lose these virtues, then what service will the city draw from you, when you would have become impudent and perfidious?

omeone else was liked in a reception, in a board of directors, in a visit. If that brings fortunes, you will rejoice on what has happened with all. And if that brings misfortune, do not be afflicted by your deprivation. But remember, not to do anything to gain the things which do not depend on us, in the way others do to obtain them, for it is impossible that you shall have equal share. For how shall one who has never been to a rich and powerful mans doorstep be treated the same way as a man

who goes there regularly? Those who do not accompany him when he goes out from those who accompany? Those who neither flatter nor praise from those who do nothing else but flatter and praise? If you do not want to give the things by which to buy all these favours and want them for nothing, you are then unfair and insatiable. For how much do we buy the lettuces at the market? One coin. If your neighbour gives the coin and takes the lettuce and on the other hand you do not give the coin and return without a lettuce, you should not imagine that you have received less than him ;for, he has his lettuce and you have the coin which you did not give. It is the same here. You were not invited to an anniversary? That means you have not paid to the person who is is celebrating , the price at which he is selling it.This price is a praise, a visit, a kindness, a dependence. Hence give the price if it suits. But if, without paying you want the goods, you are insatiable and unfair. Dont you have anything which can have in place of anniversary to which you had not been? Definitely, you have something much more valuable than the anniversary, it is of not having praised the one whom you did not want to praise, and you have not been humiliated by his pride and insolence at his doorstep.

e can learn the plans of nature by the things in which we do not distinguish ourselves. For example, when an employee of your neighbour has broken a plate or something else, you will surely tell him, in order to console him, that it is a simple accident. Know that, when a plate belonging to you breaks, you should be as quiet as you were when your neighbours plate broke. Carry this maxim to the most important things as well. When a son or a wife of someone dies, every one says life is like hat. But if the same persons son or wife dies, immediately we hear cries, shouts, moanings: How miserable I am! I am lost! It is now that one should recall all the sentiments which we had when we heard of similar accidents to others

ne does not envisage a goal for not fulfilling it, and for the same reason, in this world nothing bad exists in nature. If your body is to be handed over to the discretion of some one at the the first opportunity, you would no doubt be very angry; and when you yourself abandon your soul to some one at the first opportunity, if he insults you, your soul would be touched and troubled, but you do not get angry!

n all business, before undertaking it, observe well what precedes and follows, and undertake it after this examination. If you do observe this conduct, you will at first have pleasure in all that you do, for you would not have envisaged what follows; but at the end, the shame will start appearing , you will be filled with confusion.

ou would want to be crowned at the Olympic games. And me too, for it is really glorious. But examine well in advance what precedes and follows a similar enterprise. You can undertake it after this examination. You should observe this discipline: eat well, abstain yourself from all the things that flatter your taste buds, do your exercises at the appropriate time in winter and in summer; drink pure water and wine moderately; in a word, you will have to give yourself without reserve to day-to-day exercises, as recommended by a doctor, and after that go and participate in the game. There, you can be injured, can dislocate your leg, bite the dust a lot, and sometimes be humiliated and after all this, be defeated. When you would have taken all this carefully into account, go if you want to become an athlete. If you do not take these precautions, you will only twaddle or banter like children, who sometimes imitate the athletes, and

sometimes the players, much praised now a days by the media, and a moment later represent tragedies. It would be the same with you, you would sometimes be athlete and sometimes a player; and after all this a philosopher, and at the depth of your soul you would be nothing. Like a monkey you will imitate all that you see, and all the objects will please you one after another, because you did not examine well what you wanted to do, you had been carried away recklessly without any circumspection, guided only by your cupidity and by your whim. It is in this way that many people, seeing a philosopher, or hearing someone say that Euphrates speaks well ( who speaks like him?) would immediately like to become a philosopher.

y friend , first consider the nature of the business you undertake, and then examine your nature to see whether it is strong enough to bear this burden. You would like to run the marathon race, or be a football player? Look at your arms, consider your thighs, test your kidneys, for we are not all born for the same purpose. You would like to be a philosopher? Do you think that clinging to this profession, you will be able to eat as the others, drink like them, renounce like them all the pleasures? One has to stay awake, work, stay away from parents and from friends, be a doll to a slave, to be at

disadvantage everywhere, in pursuit of honours, responsibilities, in the tribunals, in a word in every business. Consider well all this, and see if you want to buy at this cost the tranquility, the liberty, the consistency. If not, do all other things, and do not do like children, do not be a philosopher today, tomorrow a politician, and then a business man and after that a prime minister. These things do not go tegether. It is a must that you be a single person, and a single good or a bad person; you should do what concerns your soul, or what concerns your body ; you should work to acquire inner fortunes or external fortunes, that is to say, you must sustain the character of a philosopher or of a common man.

enerally, respects are measured in relation to our position in society. Is he your father? He has ordered you to take care, to obey him in all respect, to suffer his reprimands and his ill treatments. But he is a bad father. And what! my friend, has the nature necessarily linked you to a father who is good? No, only to a father. Is your brother unfair to you? In regard to him, conserve your brotherly status, and do not see what he is doing, rather see what you should do, and if you work in the way nature intends, you may find yourself in the state of

liberty.For then none will ever be offensive and will ever hurt you even if you want, you will be injured only when you believe to be so. Hence, by this means, you will always be happy with your neighbour, your colleague, your master, only if you accustom yourself to maintain always these relations in front of your eyes.

now that the principle and the foundation of the religion consists of having about God, sane and straight forward opinions, to believe in His existence, that He extends his Providence on all, that He governs the world with kindness and justice; that you are down here to obey Him, to take everything that happens in the right attitude, and to acquiesce full heartedly as the things coming from a good and saintly Providence.In this way you shall never complain about God, and you shall never accuse him of not having taken care of you. You can only have these sentiments by renouncing all the things which do not depend on us, and considering only of the good and the bad in the ones which depend on us. For if you take one of these strange things to be good or bad, there is necessarly a doubt, while you are frustrated by your desire, or fall down to your fear, that you feel sorry and you hate the One who is the cause to your unhappiness. For all animal are born to abhor and to run away from

what seems bad and destructive and which could be the cause; and to like and to find out what is useful and which is good and its cause. It is then impossible to believe that being injured pleases more to the cause of the injury; from where it ensues that none rejoices nor is pleased by their unhappiness.

ere comes a son with a heap of criticism and insults to his father, when his father does not settle his share regarding the properties; that is what made Etocleus and Polyneus irreconciliable enemies: they regarded the throne as a big fortune. Here is what makes the farmer, the pilot, the merchant curse God, and here is also the cause of the murmurs of those who lose their wives and children. For where utility lies, there lies also the piety. Hence each man who takes care to govern their desires and aversions according to the prescribed rules, may care to nourish and increase the piety. In his prayers, and in his offerings , each one has to follow the custom of his country, in a pure way, without any nonchalance,without negligence, without irreverence, without meanness, and also not in a grandiose manner beyond his means.

hen you go to consult an astrologer, remember to ignore what would come to you and what you want to learn from him. But at the same time remember, if you are a philosopher and you want to go to consult him, you know pretty well the nature of what would come to you. For if it is one of the things that do not depend on us, it can assuredly be neither good nor bad for you. Hence for worldly things do not lean on the astrologer nor be averse to him , otherwise you will always tremble ; but be persuasive and convincing that whatever happens is immaterial and does not concern you, and whatever the nature maybe, it depends on you to make a good use of it, nobody can prevent you from that. Go then with confidence, as if you were approaching God, as if He deigns well in advising you. Besides, when he would have given you advice, remember the advisors and to whom you had recourse and who are the ones to whom you will disregard the orders if you disobey. But go to see the astrologer only to know the events which cannot be seen through reason, nor by any other rules of art. Thus if you will have to expose yourself to a great danger for your friends or countrys sake, do not go to consult an astrologer to know whether you should do it or not. For if a soothsayer says that the configuration of your astrological sky is bad, this is a sign of death, or injuries, or exile, but the right reason says that, in spite of all these things, one should help ones friend and country obey then a greater soothsayer than you consulted, obey Apollo Pythian, who expelled a man from his temple who

did not go to rescue his friend when he was being assassinated.

eep silent as often as possible, or say only the necessary things, and say them in as few words as possible. It may be , though rarely, that you will have to speak, when occasion demands; but never speak of trivial or common things: never speak of football matches, nor to bet on the horses, nor on cinema heroes, nor of drinking, eating which are topics of ordinary conversations. Above all speak not of men, neither to blame nor to praise nor to compare them. If you can then, include in your speeches the conversations with your friends what is decent and proper; and if you find yourself among strangers, doggedly, keep silent.

o not laugh for a long time, nor often, nor even excessively.

efuse to vow altogether and everywhere, if it is in your power; otherwise only as much as the occasion demands.

void eating outside, and be away from all public banquets; but if because of certain compulsions you are obliged to break this rule, redouble your vigilance on yourself, lest you should go the way in which others in the crowd behave. Know that if one of the guests is impure, one who is seated beside and follows him, is bound to be soiled and lose the purity which he can preserve if he remains by himself.

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egarding things necessary for the body such as food, dress, housing and servants, make use of them only as much as is required for the needs of the soul. And reject all that relates to luxury or vanity.

bstain, if you can, from the pleasures of love before marriage, and if you have it, let it at least be in accordance with the law. But do not be severe to those who make use of it, do not view them harshly and do not brag about continence all the time.

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f a person comes and tells that someone has spoken badly about you, do not start refuting what he has said, but simply reply: The one who has told you so, undoubtedly does not know about my other vices, because if he had known about them, surely he would not have forgotten to mention them.

t is not at all necessary to go frequently to cinema or to matches of games. And, if you go there occasionally, do not support either of the teams, and reserve your support and zeal to yourself, that is to say, remain contented with what happens and accept that the victory is deserved by him who has won; in this way you shall never be angry or troubled. Avoid also shouting , laughing loudly, and making big gestures. And after you have come back, do not engage in long conversation on all that has happened because that will not serve the purpose of correcting your errors, nor make you a more honest

person; for the long conversation proves that the only thing that has drawn your admiration is the show.

on't go to cinema or the theatre or at least do not go to these places without a purpose. But if you happen to be there, maintain a seriousness and keep it under control and also a pleasantness which will not be contaminated with any trace of sorrow and dullness.

hen you are required to have a conversation with some one, more so with some of the top people of the town, ask yourself what Socrates or Zeneus would have done in such a situation.By this method you will have confidence in doing your duty and in making proper use of all that would be faced by you.

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hen you have to meet a big man, be prepared in advance that he may not be at his place, or he may be preoccupied, or he may not open

his doors and he may not even meet you. If even after that, your duty calls him there, bear with all that happens and never consider about saying or thinking that the encounter was not worth the trouble. Because that is the way of a vulgar person, of a person who has lot of power on external matters.

n ordinary conversation, take great care of not speaking badly or for a long duration about your exploits and the dangers you have come across; because though you may have much pleasure in recounting them, others may not find much in it to listen.

ake care still more not to play the role of being funny. By that you are inclined to gravitate towards people who are not of serious type and at the sametime that may diminish you before the eyes of others.

t is very dangerous to get in the midst of obscene talks, vulgar jokes and when you find yourself in the midst of such conversations, if possible, do not hesitate to take into task these who are indulging in it; otherwise at least remain silent, and make evident by the reddening of your face or by the seriousness of your countenance that you are not amused by this type of conversation.

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f you start imagining about some sensual pleasure, then as always, keep a watch on yourself, so that you are not trapped by it, that this sensuality may not access you even a little and obtain some support from you. Afterwards compare the two moments, the period of enjoyment and the period of regret that follows and how you will reproach yourself and oppose the satisfactions you will get with the praises you will shower on yourself if you resist. If you find that it is the time to enjoy this pleasure, take great care that this allurement and its charms do not overpower and seduce you and oppose them with the greater pleasure you can witness if you conquer them.

hen you have to do something, after having known that this is your duty, do not avoid doing it because of the possible bad opinions

of others. If the act is bad, do not do it, on the contrary if it is good, why are you afraid of those who would condemn it without reason and think bad about it?

amething with the two propositions: "It is day, It is night," they are very reasonable when they are separated, when they form two opposite sides, and it is very unreasonable if one takes them up at the same time and make the two sides as one; in the same way nothing is more unreasonable than to covet everything for oneself without looking at others. When you are invited for meals, do not, think about the quality of the dish that will be served and which may invigorate your appetite. Think of the nature of the people who have invited you and give them the esteem and regard that is due to them.

f you take up a task which is beyond your capacity, not only do you make a mess of it but you also forego a task which you could have fulfilled.

ust, as you take great care of not treading on nails and spraining your ankle while walking, take care similarly not to hurt the controlling part of yourself, the reason, which guides you. If in each action of our life we observe reasons precept we shall surely do everything properly.

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ust as shoes are for the requirement of the feet so also riches are for the requirement of each man's body. If you remember this rule then you will be able to keep the correct measure ; but if you do not take this into account, you are lost: you will be going down as if in a precipice and no body could stop you . The same thing for the shoes: if once you cross the limits of requirement of your feet, then you will first have shoes with decoration , then you will like to have golden shoes and finally you will like to have shoes with diamonds. For there is no limit for those who have once crossed the limits.

he women when they are young are called mistresses by their husbands. These women therefore, seeing that their husbands consider them only for the pleasures they give to their husbands, think

only of the pleasures they can give them ,think of only dressing up themselves for pleasing them, and they put all their confidence in make up and dressing table. It is therefore most necessary to make them understand that they will be honoured and respected only to the extent they become wise, prudent and modest.

certain sign of a dull soul is to remain occupied a long time with the care of the body, like exercising for long , drinking and eating for long and devoting much of the time to the other needs of the body. All these things should not be the principal item of our life but its accessories, and these things should be done only on passing: all our applications and our attention should be for the soul.

hen somebody wrongs you or speaks ill of you, try to understand that he is obliged to do so. It is not possible for him to follow your judgement, he follows only his own.Consequently if he judges wrongly he alone is hurt, because he is the only one who is deceived.

In fact, if someone thinks that a well thought out and just syllogism is wrong, the syllogism does not suffer on that account, but the person who has deceived himself by his wrong judgement. If you follow this rule then you shall be able to patiently bear with all those who speak ill of you; because for each insult you will not fail to say: 'He thinks that he is right'.

verything has two aspects: one with which it can be carried, and the other with which it can not be. If therefore your brother does you an injustice do not consider him by the side of him which has been unjust to you, because that is the handle by which you can neither take him nor carry him; but take him by the other side of him, who is your brother, who is the man who has been brought up and fed with you, and you will consider him by the good side which will make you put up with him.

t is not correct reasoning to say "I am richer than you and therefore I am better than you: I am more brilliant than you, and therefore I am worthier than you." The correct reasoning is to say: "I am richer than you, because I am more fortunate than you are; I am more

brilliant than you because my speech is more useful than yours ".But you, you are poor both in fortunes and speech.

omeone bathes at very early hours. Don't say that it is bad to take bath so early, but say that he bathes before it is the time to take bath. Some one drinks a lot of wine. Don't say it is bad to drink, but say only that he drinks a lot. Because, without knowing what makes him act that way, how do you know that he is doing something bad. Thus, every time you judge in this way, something will be apparent before you but you will arrive at something else.

on't theorise, don't flaunt grandiose principles before the ignorant , on the other hand do what these principles mean. For example, in a banquet, don't say how one should eat, but eat as one should. And remember always that in everything and everywhere Socrates had rejected all show and all display. The young men went to him for recommending them to other teachers, and he sent them to others less worthy and although he was suffering in this way but still he did not complain.

f it comes to discoursing on some good questions before the ignorant, remain silent; because there is the danger of soon telling something which you have not assimilated. And if someone tells you that you know nothing, if you are not pricked by the reproach, know that you are on the way to becoming a philosopher. Because the sheep do not show to the shepherds how much they have eaten, but after digesting well in the pasture in which they had been, they produce wool and milk. You too, do not sell your good principles to the ignorant, if you have learnt them well, make them manifest in your actions.

f you are accustomed to lead an ascetic life and to treat your body with austerity, don't become vain about it, and if you do not drink even water, don't always say that you do not drink water. If you want to practise patience and tolerance, do that for yourself and not for showing to others; do not show your devotion; if you are extremely thirsty, take water in your mouth and throw it out and don't tell that to any one.

he ignorant has this habit and character: he never concern himself with his good or bad, but always of others; the philosopher has the habit and

character: he is concerned with all the good and bad fortune of himself.

certain sign that a person has made some progress in the path of wisdom: he does not blame anybody, he does not praise anybody, he does not complain against anybody , he does not accuse anybody, he does not speak of himself as if he was something or he knew something. When he finds some obstacle or some hindrances to what he wants, he takes it on himself. If someone praises him he mocks discreetly at those flatterers and if he tries it again then he does not look for its justification; but like a person recovering, he examines himself and observes lest he should disturb or trouble the process of recovery which has just commenced, before his health is fully restored. He has conquered in him all desires and he has aversions only to the things that do not depend on us.For all things he has only movements not very assidous and rather subdued. If people consider him as simple and ignorant he is not in pain because of it. In other words, he is always vigilant against himself as if he is against a person who is continually trying to trap him and who is his most dangerous enemy.

hen some one boasts about understanding and explaining the writings of Chrysippus, tell yourself: If Chrysippus did not write enigmatically, then this man who is boasting would not have anything by which he could glorify himself. As for me, what do I want? Knowing the nature and following it. I therefore search for those who have explained it well. I am told that Chrysippus has done so. I start reading Chrysippus but I do not understand him; I therefore look for some one who would explain to me. Upto this point, nothing is very extraordinary.When I have found someone who is a good interpreter, then the only thing to be done is to follow the precepts explained to me and to put them into practice; and that is the only thing deserving merit. Because if I am satisfied only with explaining this philosopher and admiring what he had said, what does that mean to me?It means that I am only a grammarian and not a philosopher, with the difference that instead of explaining Homer, I explain Chrysippus. So when someone tells me "Explain Chrysippus", I shall be all the more ashamed of myself and confused, if I can not show the actions conforming to these precepts.

ive firmly in accordance with these precepts and obey them as laws which can not be broken without being irreverent. And do not pay any importance whatsoever to what others are going to tell you;

because that is not among your power.

the things which are within

ill when will you postpone of being worthy of the highest things and to put you in a state when you have nothing to offend the right senses? You have received the commandment to which you should give your consent and you have given it. For which preceptor are you waiting now for turning over a new leaf till he comes? You are not a child but a grown up man. If you indulge in yourself, amuse yourself, if you make resolution after resolutions, if each day you think of another day when you would take care of yourself, it will happen that, if you have not guarded yourself against it, you will not make any progress, you will remain ignorant in your life and after your death. Start considering yourself today itself as fit for living like a man, like one who has already made some progress in the path of the wise and all that appears to you as very beautiful and very good should be for you an absolute law. If that presents something painful or agreeable to you, something glorious or shameful, remember that the day of battle has come, that the olympic games is declared open, there is now no time to postpone, and in a moment or in a single courageous action or lapse depends your progress or your fall. This is how Socrates had become

perfect, facing everything in his progress , and following always the right thing. As for you, since you have still not become Socrates, you should nevertheless live like one who wants to become Socrates.

he first most important and the most necessary part of a follower of a philosopher is to practise the precepts; for example, do not tell a lie. The second aspect is to provide the theory why one should not tell a lie. And the third part is to prove the theorem, explaining why is the theorem required, what is the staff of which truth and certitude are made of ; it defines the different terms ; theory, consequence, opposition , truth and falseness. This third part is required for the second part, and the second for the first one. But it is the first part which is the most important of all the three, it is there that one should pay attention and concentrate ordinarily. We proceed in the reverse order; we dwell entirely on the third aspect; all our action, our studies, are for the third part, for providing the proof, and we totally neglect the first one, which is putting it into use and to practise. It happens that we tell lies, and at the same time we are always ready to prove very much that one should not lie.

tart all your actions and all your work with this prayer: " Oh, my lord, lead me to where you are and guide me to that place ! I shall follow there with all my heart and without hesitation. Even when I resist your orders, besides when I become wicked and irreverent inspite of myself, I should follow Thee. Also tell yourself : Those who can adjust according to necessity are sages and wise in the knowledge of the divine. In the third place, tell further " Let me pass by courageously, because it is by this that God leads us and calls us. The wicked can kill me but they cannot spoil me."

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