Discourses, What Things We Ought to Despise and What Things We Ought to Value

Epictetus — The Slave

But if someone worries about their desires — afraid they won't get what they want — and worries about avoiding things — afraid they'll run into what they're trying to escape — I'll first praise them. They're ignoring the stuff that makes everyone else panic and focusing on their own business instead. Then I'll tell them this: If you don't want to fail at getting what you desire, and you don't want to stumble into what you're trying to avoid, then don't desire anything that belongs to other people. Don't try to avoid anything that's outside your control. If you ignore this rule, you're guaranteed to fail at your desires and crash into exactly what you're trying to avoid. What's difficult about this? Where's the room for asking 'How will this turn out?' or 'Will this happen or that?'

Epictetus — The Slave Original

On the other side, if a man is anxious (uneasy) about desire, lest it fail in its purpose and miss its end, and with respect to the avoidance of things, lest he should fall into that which he would avoid, I will first kiss (love) him, because he throws away the things about which others are in a flutter (others desire) and their fears, and employs his thoughts about his own affairs and his own condition. Then I shall say to him: If you do not choose to desire that which you will fail to obtain nor to attempt to avoid that into which you will fall, desire nothing which belongs to (which is in the power of) others, nor try to avoid any of the things which are not in your power. If you do not observe this rule, you must of necessity fail in your desires and fall into that which you would avoid. What is the difficulty here? where is there room for the words How will it be? and How will it turn out? and Will this happen or that?