Discourses, Against Those Who Wish to Be Admired

Epictetus — The Slave

So what is education? Education is learning how to apply your natural ideas about right and wrong to real situations in the right way. And then learning to tell the difference: some things are up to you, others are not. What's up to you: your choices and everything that flows from your choices. What's not up to you: your body, your body parts, your stuff, your parents, siblings, children, your country — basically everyone and everything you deal with in life. So where should we put what's good? What kind of things should we call good? The things that are up to us? But wait — isn't health good? Aren't strong limbs good? Isn't life itself good? Aren't children and parents and country good? Who would put up with you if you said they weren't?

Epictetus — The Slave Original

What then is education? Education is the learning how to adapt the natural præcognitions to the particular things conformably to nature; and then to distinguish that of things some are in our power, but others are not. In our power are will and all acts which depend on the will; things not in our power are the body, the parts of the body, possessions, parents, brothers, children, country, and, generally, all with whom we live in society. In what then should we place the good? To what kind of things ([Greek: ousia]) shall we adapt it? To the things which are in our power? Is not health then a good thing, and soundness of limb, and life, and are not children and parents and country? Who will tolerate you if you deny this?