Epictetus Quotes on Virtue
Epictetus was a Greek Stoic philosopher of the first and early second centuries, born into slavery in Hierapolis in Roman Phrygia and freed in adulthood. This page collects quotes attributed to Epictetus on the topic of virtue, drawn from across the philosopher's works.
Quotes
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“It is not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.”
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.”
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants.”
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“No man is free who is not master of himself.”
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“If you wish to be a writer, write.”
-
Attributed to Epictetus:
“Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.”