1 - Set aside your self-satisfaction about what you think you know. You are not going to learn anything new, if you think you know it already. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

2 - Honour the highest in yourself, the part that shares its nature with the greatest. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.21] 

3 - He who fears death will never do anything worthy of someone alive. [Seneca, T 11] 

4 - Then what do we come to philosophers for? To learn what we think we do not know—the basic principles. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

5 - What does not harm the community does not harm the individual. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.22] 

6 - By looking forward to everything that may happen to her as though it will happen to her, a person takes the sting out of all misfortunes. [Seneca, T 11] 

7- It is ridiculous to imagine you are going to learn anything other than what you want to learn. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

8 - Think how quickly all things come into being and how quickly they pass away. The river of life flows without stopping. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.23] 

9 - It makes no difference what happens to those who expect it and are prepared to meet it. [Seneca, T 11] 

10 - You cannot hope to make any progress in any area without putting in the effort. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

11 - What sense does it make to fret and fume—as if your troubles are going to last forever? [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.23] 

12 - You say, "I did not think this would happen," and "would you ever have believed that this would have happened?". But why not? [Seneca, T 11] 

13 - We all talk about good and evil, useful, and harmful. It’s all in our vocabulary. But do we understand how to apply them correctly? [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

14 - In the totality of everything, yours is a small share. In the totality of time, yours is a brief instant. In the totality of destiny, yours is a puny part. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.24] 

15 - Know then that every human condition is temporary and that what has ever happened to anybody can happen to you too. [Seneca, T 11] 

16 - Just look at yourself. If you are good at applying your intuitive concepts properly, why are you unhappy and obstructed? [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

17 - Has anyone done me wrong? Let them take care of it. Their character and actions are theirs. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.25] 

18 - Unless you expect that whatever can happen will happen to you, you give adversity power over you. [Seneca, T 11] 

19 - Make it so that whatever happens is what you want to happen. How can you then be unhappy? [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

20 - Let no emotions of pleasure or pain affect your supreme part—your mind. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.26] 

21 - Avoid doing meaningless work or work whose purpose is trivial. [Seneca, T 12] 

22 - But how can you call yourself educated, if you still experience envy, pity, jealousy, and fear and complain everyday about your condition and about God? [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

23 - Live with the gods. How? By showing them that you accept whatever they give you and doing whatever they ask of you. [Marcus Aurelius, M5.27] 

24 - don’t desire things that you cannot achieve and those which, once achieved after much sweat, make you realize they were not worth going after. [Seneca, T 12] 

25 - Throw away this conceit that you possess any useful knowledge. Approach philosophy like you would music or mathematics. Otherwise you won’t even come close to making any progress. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

26 - You can live on earth like you mean to live in the hereafter. [Marcus Aurelius, M 5.29] 

27 - Our effort should not be without a result, and the result should be worthy of our effort. [Seneca, T 12] 

28 - Why is it that when you want something, it doesn’t come about, and when you don’t want it, it comes about? For that’s very strong proof that you are in a troubled and unfortunate state. [Epictetus, D 2.17] 

29 - I am my own master, and no one can hinder me from doing what I choose. I choose to live in accordance with nature as a reasonable member of a social community. 

[Marcus Aurelius, M 5.29] 

30 - direct all your efforts toward some purpose, and keep that aim in sight. [Seneca, T 12] 

31 - Every habit is formed, and every capacity strengthened, by our doing things associated with it. Walking makes you walk better, running makes you run better. Want to be a reader? Read. Want to be a writer? Write. [Epictetus, D 2.18] 

 

D=Discourses by Epictetus; M=Meditations by Marcus Aurelius; T=On Tranquility by Seneca 

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