Discourses, In What Manner We Ought to Bear Sickness

Epictetus — The Slave

When you need a certain way of thinking, you should have it ready. At breakfast, have thoughts that help with breakfast. In the bath, thoughts about bathing. In bed, thoughts about sleep.

Don't let sleep close your tired eyes before you've looked at each thing you did that day. What went wrong? What went right? What did you leave undone? Check everything from start to finish. Then criticize what was bad and celebrate what was good.

Keep these verses ready so you can use them — not just recite them out loud like shouting "Praise Apollo!" When you get a fever, have thoughts ready that help with fever. Don't lose everything you know the moment you get sick.

Epictetus — The Slave Original

When the need of each opinion comes, we ought to have it in readiness: on the occasion of breakfast, such opinions as relate to breakfast; in the bath, those that concern the bath; in bed, those that concern bed.

Let sleep not come upon thy languid eyes Before each daily action thou hast scann'd; What's done amiss, what done, what left undone; From first to last examine all, and then Blame what is wrong, in what is right rejoice.

And we ought to retain these verses in such way that we may use them, not that we may utter them aloud, as when we exclaim, "Paean Apollo." Again in fever we should have ready such opinions as concern a fever; and we ought not, as soon as the fever begins, to lose and forget all.