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nsul93's review against another edition
4.0
Another book of Stoic philosophy I was afraid to read but which has quickly won me over. Alexander Pope, in his great Essay on Man, accused the Stoics of a pride inconsistent with man's natural weakness. But pride is only pride where it overlooks faults. The Stoics, on the other hand, knew man's weakness - this is why they were Stoics. Epictetus's Enchiridion is a collection of brief meditations which belong on the bedside table of anyone seeking to lead an upright life, guided by reason, disciplined by introspection, and ruled by patience. Amor fati, memento mori, reign in your appetites, discipline your mind, and hold circumstances loosely. To live this way is not proud; it is honest. It's also probably the only way to contentment, accomplishment, and inward peace in a ruthless world. I'll be reading this again and again.
msmithr's review against another edition
4.0
The gist of Epictetus is: we only control our own will. Nothing else. So let the other stuff go. Stoicism 101. This is very, very short. Much of it went over my head. But, I will return to it and try to learn a new thing each time. That said, much of it is highlighted and really beautiful.
jvanwagoner's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
5.0
A Stoic philosopher who was a slave - an interesting view of life
This translation was by George Long and was originally published in 1888. It contains a short biographical note about the life of Epictetus. Very little is known other than he was a slave allowed to teach philosophy in the early 2nd century CE. He was a stoic, and these writings reflect that. The discourses comprise most of the book and are short essays on various subjects. The last 20 pages of the book consist of the Enchiridion (or Manual), which are even shorter snippets of advice. It is classic wisdom literature.
I feel that his experience as a slave influenced his philosophy very interestingly and positively. He talked a lot about what we can and cannot control. We can control our happiness or character, not what others do to us. He emphasizes how we can be in command of our own will and should not let others have power over it. Overall, I liked his philosophy. Here is a slave that was not about to let others destroy his life or happiness.
I recommend reading this to anyone interested in philosophy in general.
I originally wrote this review on 2/15/2012.
This translation was by George Long and was originally published in 1888. It contains a short biographical note about the life of Epictetus. Very little is known other than he was a slave allowed to teach philosophy in the early 2nd century CE. He was a stoic, and these writings reflect that. The discourses comprise most of the book and are short essays on various subjects. The last 20 pages of the book consist of the Enchiridion (or Manual), which are even shorter snippets of advice. It is classic wisdom literature.
I feel that his experience as a slave influenced his philosophy very interestingly and positively. He talked a lot about what we can and cannot control. We can control our happiness or character, not what others do to us. He emphasizes how we can be in command of our own will and should not let others have power over it. Overall, I liked his philosophy. Here is a slave that was not about to let others destroy his life or happiness.
I recommend reading this to anyone interested in philosophy in general.
I originally wrote this review on 2/15/2012.
vaidab's review against another edition
5.0
I love the book (and the stoics in general). Interesting start in 28 (part 9) about how people view reality.
vasiliki_21's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.0
read another edition translated in greek
jgauthier's review against another edition
3.0
There are a few golden nuggets of wisdom hidden within a large mass of repetition. Worth a quick skim, but don't expect anything surprising or novel Stoicism-wise: most of the points made in this book are also mentioned in the Enchiridion, Meditations, etc. If you're just jumping into Stoicism there are better books to start with (check out my "stoicism" shelf!).