Discourses, That We Ought not to Be Moved by a Desire of Those Things Which Are not in Our Power

Epictetus — The Slave

Replace all other pleasures with this one pleasure: knowing that you are obeying God. Not just in words, but in your actual deeds — acting like a truly wise and good person. What a wonderful thing it is to be able to say to yourself: "Right now, whatever everyone else is saying in their fancy schools — things that sound strange or go against popular opinion — I am actually doing. They sit around talking about my virtues, asking about me, praising me. But Zeus wanted me to prove this to myself. He wanted me to know for myself whether he has the kind of soldier he should have, the kind of citizen he should have. And he chose to put me before the rest of humanity as living proof of what really matters: Look, you worry for no good reason. You foolishly want the wrong things. Don't look for what's good in external things. Look for it in yourselves. If you don't, you'll never find it."

Epictetus — The Slave Original

Then in the place of all other delights substitute this, that of being conscious that you are obeying God, that not in word, but in deed you are performing the acts of a wise and good man. For what a thing it is for a man to be able to say to himself: Now whatever the rest may say in solemn manner in the schools and may be judged to be saying in a way contrary to common opinion (or in a strange way), this I am doing; and they are sitting and are discoursing of my virtues and inquiring about me and praising me; and of this Zeus has willed that I shall receive from myself a demonstration, and shall myself know if he has a soldier such as he ought to have, a citizen such as he ought to have, and if he has chosen to produce me to the rest of mankind as a witness of the things which are independent of the will: See that you fear without reason, that you foolishly desire what you do desire; seek not the good in things external; seek it in yourselves: if you do not, you will not find it.