Discourses, On Constancy (or Firmness)

Epictetus — The Slave

Do we philosophers teach you to despise kings? I hope not. Which of us teaches you to challenge their power over the things they control? Take my poor body, take my property, take my reputation, take the people around me. If I advised anyone to fight for these things, you could rightly accuse me. But wait — you say you want to control my opinions too. Who gave you that power? How can you conquer another person's mind? 'By scaring them,' you say. 'I'll conquer it through fear.' Don't you know that opinion conquers itself? It can't be conquered by someone else. Nothing else can conquer the will except the will itself. This is why God's law is so powerful and just: the stronger should always rule over the weaker.

Epictetus — The Slave Original

Do you philosophers then teach us to despise kings? I hope not. Who among us teaches to claim against them the power over things which they possess? Take my poor body, take my property, take my reputation, take those who are about me. If I advise any persons to claim these things, they may truly accuse me. Yes, but I intend to command your opinions also. And who has given you this power? How can you conquer the opinion of another man? By applying terror to it, he replies, I will conquer it. Do you not know that opinion conquers itself, and is not conquered by another? But nothing else can conquer will except the will itself. For this reason too the law of God is most powerful and most just, which is this: Let the stronger always be superior to the weaker.