Discourses, Of Indifference — In Plain English

Epictetus — The Slave

Many of us skip important duties because we care too much about fortune-telling. But what can a fortune-teller really see? Death, danger, sickness — things like that. So let's say I need to face danger for a friend. Let's say it's my duty to die for him. What do I need a fortune-teller for then? I already have a fortune-teller inside me. It tells me what's good and what's evil. It shows me the signs of both. So why do I need to examine animal guts or watch birds fly? Why do I listen when the fortune-teller says, "This is good for you"? Does he really know what's good for me? Does he know what good actually is? Sure, he learned to read animal guts. But did he also learn to read the signs of good and evil? If he knows those signs, then he also knows the signs of what's beautiful and ugly, just and unjust.

Epictetus — The Slave Original

Through an unreasonable regard to divination many of us omit many duties. For what more can the diviner see than death or danger or disease, or generally things of that kind? If then I must expose myself to danger for a friend, and if it is my duty even to die for him, what need have I then for divination? Have I not within me a diviner who has told me the nature of good and of evil, and has explained to me the signs (or marks) of both? What need have I then to consult the viscera of victims or the flight of birds, and why do I submit when he says, It is for your interest? For does he know what is for my interest, does he know what is good; and as he has learned the signs of the viscera, has he also learned the signs of good and evil? For if he knows the signs of these, he knows the signs both of the beautiful and of the ugly, and of the just and of the unjust.

Epictetus — The Slave

Chrysantas was about to strike his enemy when he heard the trumpet call retreat. He decided it was better to obey his general's command than to follow his own desires. But none of us are like that. When necessity calls, we don't obey readily. Instead, we cry and complain about what we have to suffer. We call these things "circumstances." What kind of circumstances, man? If you call everything around you "circumstances," then everything is circumstances. But if you only call hardships by this name, what hardship is there really in the death of something that was created to die? The thing that destroys might be a sword, a wheel, the sea, a falling tile, or a tyrant. Why do you care about how you go down to Hades? All ways are equal. But if you want the truth, the way the tyrant sends you is actually shorter. A tyrant never took six months to kill someone. But a fever often takes a whole year. All these things are just noise and empty words.

Epictetus — The Slave Original

But Chrysantas when he was going to strike the enemy checked himself when he heard the trumpet sounding a retreat: so it seemed better to him to obey the general's command than to follow his own inclination. But not one of us chooses, even when necessity summons, readily to obey it, but weeping and groaning we suffer what we do suffer, and we call them "circumstances." What kind of circumstances, man? If you give the name of circumstances to the things which are around you, all things are circumstances; but if you call hardships by this name, what hardship is there in the dying of that which has been produced? But that which destroys is either a sword, or a wheel, or the sea, or a tile, or a tyrant. Why do you care about the way of going down to Hades? All ways are equal. But if you will listen to the truth, the way which the tyrant sends you is shorter. A tyrant never killed a man in six months: but a fever is often a year about it. All these things are only sound and the noise of empty names.