Plain
Epictetus — The Slave

It's one thing to store bread and wine in a warehouse. It's another thing to eat them. What you eat gets digested. It spreads through your body and becomes muscle, flesh, bones, blood, healthy color, and healthy breath. Whatever you store away, you can grab and show off whenever you want. But you get no real benefit from it except looking like you own it. How is explaining these teachings any different from explaining the teachings of people who disagree with you?

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Knowing Yourself What Matters Most
Epictetus — The Slave Original

For it is one thing to lay up bread and wine as in a storehouse, and another thing to eat. That which has been eaten, is digested, distributed, and is become sinews, flesh, bones, blood, healthy color, healthy breath. Whatever is stored up, when you choose you can readily take and show it; but you have no other advantage from it except so far as to appear to possess it. For what is the difference between explaining these doctrines and those of men who have different opinions?

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Epictetus — The Slave

So the good things are virtues and whatever shares in virtue. The bad things are the opposite. The neutral things are wealth, health, and reputation. But then, if we're talking and there's a loud noise, or someone laughs at us, we get upset. Philosopher, where are those things you were just discussing? Where did you get them from when you spoke? From your lips only. Why are you ruining the help that others provided? Why are you treating the most important matters like a game of dice?

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Knowing Yourself Doing The Right Thing
Epictetus — The Slave Original

the good then are virtues, and the things which participate in virtues; and the bad are the contrary; and the indifferent are wealth, health, reputation. Then, if in the midst of our talk there should happen some greater noise than usual, or some of those who are present should laugh at us, we are disturbed. Philosopher, where are the things which you were talking about? Whence did you produce and utter them? From the lips, and thence only. Why then do you corrupt the aids provided by others? Why do you treat the weightiest matters as if you were playing a game of dice?

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Ancient philosophy, in plain English.

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