Do not seek to bring things to pass in accordance with your wishes, but wish for them as they are, and you will find them.

To Epictetus, all external events are determined by fate, and are thus beyond our control, but we can accept whatever happens calmly and dispassionately. Individuals, however, are responsible for their own actions which they can examine and control through rigorous self-discipline. Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power. As part of the universal city that is the universe, human beings have a duty of care to all fellow humans. The person who followed these precepts would achieve happiness.

The essence of good and evil is a certain disposition of the will.

What is it that every man seeks? To be secure, to be happy, to do what he pleases without restraint and without compulsion.

Know you not that a good man does nothing for appearance sake, but for the sake of having done right?

What hurts this person is not the occurrence itself, for another person might not feel oppressed by this situation at all. What is hurting this person is the response he or she has uncritically adopted. It is not a demonstration of kindness or friendship to the people we care about to join them in indulging in wrongheaded, negative feelings.

Contentment, as it is a short road and pleasant, has great delight and little trouble.