Epictetus (c. 50-135 CE) was brought as a slave to Rome, where he became a great teacher, deeply influencing the future emperor Marcus Aurelius among many others. His philosophy, Stoicism, was practical, not theoretical–aimed at relieving human suffering here and now.
The Manual for Living Book Summary
Note: This summary is made up of my notes, thoughts and highlights of important passages while reading the book. I keep updating the summary when I revisit it, and occasionally may edit it to reduce summary length. Don’t be surprised if it has changed between visits. The author’s words are in normal font, while my interpretations are in italics.
Work within your sphere of control
Working within our sphere of control, we are naturally free, independent, and strong. Beyond that sphere, we are weak, limited, and dependent.
If you wish to have peace and contentment, release your attachment to all things outside your control.
This is the path of freedom and happiness.
If you try to avoid what you cannot control—sickness, poverty, death—you will inflict useless mental suffering upon yourself.
End the habit of despising things that are not within your power, and apply your aversion to things that are within your power.
“But I want power and renown so that I may help other people,” you say. What do you mean by “help”?
Can you really give them happiness and satisfaction—things that are in their own spheres of power, not yours?
If someone tried to take control of your body and make you a slave, you would fight for freedom.
- Yet how easily you hand over your mind to anyone who insults you.
- When you dwell on their words and let them dominate your thoughts, you make them your master.
Find your significance within yourself. Within your own sphere of power—that is where you have the greatest consequence.
This is only my interpretation, not reality itself
People are not disturbed by things themselves, but by the views they take of those things.
What upsets this person is their opinion of what has happened. Another in the same circumstance, taking a different perspective, would react quite differently.
When you are feeling upset, angry, or sad, don’t blame another for your state of mind. Your condition is the result of your own opinions and interpretations.
When anyone provokes you, remember that it is actually your own opinion provoking you.
Whenever distress or displeasure arises in your mind, remind yourself, “This is only my interpretation, not reality itself.”
- Then ask whether it falls within or outside your sphere of power.
- And, if it is beyond your power to control, let it go.
Take care to distinguish between events themselves, and our interpretations.
Do not be fooled by how things first appear.
No one can steal your peace of mind unless you let them.
Do not mistake your impressions for the whole truth.
Philosophy
Do not proclaim yourself a philosopher, or go around preaching your principles. Show them by example.
People who are ignorant of philosophy blame others for their own misfortunes.
Those who are beginning to learn philosophy blame themselves.
Those who have mastered philosophy blame no one.
Do not spew your undigested thoughts; show their results in action.
An ignorant person is one who is tossed about between elation and despair by external forces and events. A philosopher is one whose thoughts and emotions are internally anchored.
The whole point of learning is to live out the teachings.
Those who focus on interpretations are grammarians, not philosophers.
Philosophy is for living, not just learning.
Possessions
Remind yourself of their true nature of objects, beginning with the smallest trifle and working upward.
Do not take satisfaction in possessions and achievements that are not your own.
For as long as the Source entrusts something to your hands, treat it as something borrowed, like a traveller at an inn.
A person’s worth, after all, is not found in possessions or style.
Action
In preparing for any action, remind yourself of the nature of the action.
When practical necessity demands that you desire or avoid something external—at work, for instance—act with steady deliberation, not hasty strain.
In life, remain steadfast in pursuing your mission, always willing to shed distractions.
Do not wish that all things will go well with you, but that you will go well with all things.
The only thing that can impede your will is your will itself.
If you wish to make progress, lay aside your alibis.
Stop making excuses.
To act well in your given role—this is your sphere of power.
Continually remind yourself that you are a mortal being, and someday will die. This will inspire you not to waste precious time in fruitless activities.
In every situation, consider what precedes it and what may follow—then act.
Whatever your vocation, pursue it wholeheartedly. Consider, choose, and commit.
Whenever you act from clear judgment, doing what needs to be done, do not worry about what others will think—even if the whole world might misunderstand you.
Follow unwaveringly what reason tells you is the best course.
Each action is important, one movement can determine victory or defeat.
Challenges
Whenever a challenge arises, turn inward and ask what power you can exercise in the situation.
- If you meet temptation, use self-control.
- If you meet pain, use fortitude.
- If you meet revulsion, use patience.
Freedom
If you wish to be free, do not desire anything that depends on another, lest you make them your master.
If you are praised by others, be skeptical of yourself. For it is no easy feat to hold onto your inner harmony while collecting accolades.
If you make peace with all things that are beyond your power, refusing to fight them, you will be invincible.
Follow your principles as though they were laws. Do not worry if others criticize or laugh at you, for their opinions are not your concern.
The way to be free is to let go of anything that is not within your control.
Stay humble
Do not adopt any air of superiority. Mind your own business, keep busy with the work you are best suited for, and play well the part the Author has given you.
If you find yourself acting to impress others, or avoiding action out of fear of what they might think, you have left the path.
If you want to be respected, start by respecting yourself.
Do not make a spectacle of self-deprivation. When you fast, tell no one.
Comparisons
Do not expect to equal anyone in effect without putting forth a similar effort.
If you are unwilling to pay a dollar for lettuce, yet you envy the man who has a bagful of lettuce because he paid five dollars, you are a fool. Do not imagine he has gained an advantage over you—he has his lettuce, you have your coins.
“I am richer than you, therefore I am more valuable than you.”
“I am more eloquent than you, therefore I am superior to you.”
The logical conclusions would be:
“I am richer than you, therefore I can buy more things than you.”
“I am more eloquent than you, therefore my speech is more polished than yours.”
Fortune
Whenever misfortune befalls you, ask yourself how you would react if it were someone else in the same situation.
When you hear predictions of the future, do not become fearful or excited—remember that future events are beyond your control.
Trust fate, and trust yourself. Seek advice from the laws of nature, not prognosticators.
Good and Evil
The Good stands before us like an archer’s target.
Evil is not a thing in itself but a missing of the mark, an arrow gone astray.
Stop judging the things that fate brings you as “good” or “evil”; only judge your own thoughts, desires, and actions as good or evil.
Black and white thinking may seem powerful in speeches and debates, but real life is mostly gray areas. It is rarely a question of good versus bad, but of weighing greater and lesser goods on a scale of values.
Self control
If you truly wish to become a philosopher, you must gain self-control, give up friends who are bad influences, be prepared to face ridicule and scorn, and be willing to give up honors, offices, riches, and fame.
Once you let your appetite exceed what is necessary and useful, desire knows no bounds.
Thoughts
When thinking, watch for obstacles and errors in your line of thought.
Care for your body as needed, but put your main energies and efforts into cultivating your mind.
Attention and Focus
Where our attention and affection lie, there too is our worship. Take care, then, where you direct your focus, desires, and dislikes.
Behaviours
Be the same person in public as in private.
Speak only what is useful and beneficial
Among friends, shift the conversation to worthy topics; among strangers, stay silent.
Take care of your bodily needs—food, drink, clothes, shelter—but avoid luxury and indulgence.
When you feel burning desire for something that appears pleasureful, you are like a person under a spell. Instead of acting on impulse, take a step back—wait till the enchantment fades and you can see things as they are.
If you win the adoration of others by pretending to be someone you’re not, you may gain celebrity or high office—but you will lose out on the fulfillment of a life best-suited to your attributes and abilities.
Duties are determined by relations.
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