Discourses, That We Ought with Caution to Enter into Familiar Intercourse with Men

Epictetus — The Slave

But my wife treats me badly. Well, if someone asks you what's wrong, just say, "My wife treats me badly." Is there anything more to it than that? No. My father gives me nothing. What is this? My father gives me nothing. Is there anything else to it? No. But calling this an "evil" is something you're adding on top of the facts. And you're adding it falsely. That's why we don't need to get rid of poverty. We need to get rid of our opinion about poverty. Then we'll be happy.

Epictetus — The Slave Original

But my wife treats me badly. Well, if any man asks you what this is, say, my wife treats me badly. Is there then nothing more? Nothing. My father gives me nothing. (What is this? my father gives me nothing. Is there nothing else then? Nothing); but to say that this is an evil is something which must be added to it externally, and falsely added. For this reason we must not get rid of poverty, but of the opinion about poverty, and then we shall be happy.