Suffering arises from trying to control what is uncontrollable, or from neglecting what is within our power.
EpictetusMan is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems
EpictetusDon’t consent to be hurt and you won’t be hurt – this is a choice over which you have control
EpictetusWhat 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.
Epictetus