§11. (1 Schw. fr. 1).
1. (1 Schw. fr. 1).
Ἐπικτήτου.
Of Epictetus.
Ὁ τύχῃ βίος συμπεπλεγμένος ἔοικε χειμάρρῳ ποταμῷ· καὶ γὰρ ταραχώδης καὶ ἰλύος ἀνάμεστος καὶ δυσέμβατος καὶ τυραννικὸς καὶ πολύηχος καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνιος.
A life entangled with fortune is like a torrent river; for it is turbulent, full of mud, difficult to cross, tyrannical, noisy, and short-lived.
§22. (2).
2. (2).
Ψυχὴ ὁμιλοῦσα ἀρετῇ ἔοικεν ἀεννάῳ πηγῇ· καὶ γὰρ καθαρὸν καὶ ἀτάραχον καὶ πότιμον καὶ νόστιμον καὶ κοινωνικὸν καὶ πλούσιον καὶ ἀβλαθὲς καὶ ἀνώλεθρον.
A soul associating with virtue is like an ever-flowing spring; for it is pure, undisturbed, drinkable, wholesome, social, rich, harmless, and imperishable.
§33. (3).
3. (3).
Εἰ βούλει ἀγαθὸς εἶναι, πρῶτον πίστευσον, ὅτι κακὸς εἶ.
If you wish to be good, first believe that you are bad.
§44. (4).
4. (4).
Βέλτιον ὀλιγάκις πλημμελεῖν ὁμολογοῦντα σωφρονεῖν πλεονάκις ἢ ὀλιγάκις ἁμαρτάνειν λέγοντα πλημμελεῖν πολλάκις.
It is better to err seldom while professing to be temperate most of the time, than to sin seldom while saying that one errs often.
§55. (5).
5. (5).
Κόλαζε τὰ πάθη, ἵνα μὴ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τιμωρῇ.
Chastise your passions, lest you be punished by them.
§66. (6).
6. (6).
Μὴ οὕτως τὸ ἐκ τῆς δόξης αἰσχύνου, ὡς τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόφευγε.
Do not so much be ashamed of that which comes from reputation, as flee from that which comes from truth.
§77. (7).
7. (7).
Εἰ θέλεις καλῶς ἀκούειν, μάθε καλῶς λέγειν· μαθὼν δὲ καλῶς λέγειν πειρῶ καλῶς πράττειν καὶ οὕτω καρπώσῃ τὸ καλῶς ἀκούειν.
If you wish to be well spoken of, learn to speak well; and having learned to speak well, endeavor to act well, and thus you will reap the fruit of being well spoken of.
§88. (19).
8. (19).
Ἐξέταζε σαυτόν, πότερα πλουτεῖν θέλεις ἢ εὐδαιμονεῖν.
Examine yourself, whether you wish to be rich or to be happy.
καὶ εἰ μὲν πλουτεῖν, ἴσθι, ὅτι οὔτε ἀγαθὸν οὔτε ἐπὶ σοὶ πάντῃ· εἰ δὲ εὐδαιμονεῖν, ὅτι καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ ἐπὶ σοί· ἐπεὶ τὸ μὲν τύχης ἐπίκαιρον δάνειον, τὸ δὲ † τῆς εὐδαιμονίας προαιρέσεως.
And if to be rich, know that it is neither a good thing nor entirely up to you; but if to be happy, that it is both a good thing and up to you; since the former is a temporary loan of fortune, but the latter is of moral choice.
§99. (20).
9. (20).
Καθάπερ ἔχιν ἢ ἀσπίδα ἢ σκορπίον ἐν ἐλεφαντίνῃ ἢ χρυσῇ θεώμενος κίστῃ οὐ διὰ τὸ πολυτελὲς τῆς ὕλης ἀγαπᾷς καὶ εὐδαιμονίζεις, ἀλλʼ ὅτι λυμαντικὴ ἡ φύσις, ἐκτρέπῃ καὶ μυσάττῃ, οὕτω καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἐν πλούτῳ καὶ ὄγκῳ τύχης θεάσῃ κακίαν ἐνοῦσαν, μὴ καταπλαγῇς τὸ περιλαμπὲς τῆς ὕλης, ἀλλὰ καταφρόνει τῆς ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ κιβδηλίας.
Just as when you see a viper or an asp or a scorpion in an ivory or golden box, you do not love or congratulate them because of the costliness of the material, but because their nature is harmful, you turn away and loathe them; so also, when you behold vice dwelling in wealth and the pomp of fortune, do not be struck with awe by the splendor of the material, but despise the baseness within the character.
§1010 (21).
10 (21).
Ὁ πλοῦτος οὐ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἡ πολυτέλεια τῶν κακῶν, ἡ σωφροσύνη τῶν ἀγαθῶν.
Wealth is not among the goods, luxury is among the evils, temperance is among the goods.
καλεῖ δὲ ἡ μὲν σωφροσύνη ἐπὶ τὴν εὐτέλειαν καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ὁ δὲ πλοῦτος ἐπὶ τὴν πολυτέλειαν καὶ ἀφέλκει τῆς σωφροσύνης.
And temperance calls to frugality and the acquisition of goods, but wealth calls to luxury and drags away from temperance.
δυσχερὲς ἄρα πλουτοῦντα σωφρονεῖν ἢ σωφρονοῦντα πλουτεῖν.
It is difficult, therefore, for a rich man to be temperate, or for a temperate man to be rich.
§1111. (22).
11. (22).
Ὥσπερ, εἰ ἐν νηὶ ἐσπάρης ἢ ἐτέχθης, οὐκ ἂν ἔσπευδες αὐτῆς κυβερνήτης ὑπάρχειν, οὔτε γὰρ ἐκεῖ σοι φύσει ἡ ναῦς συνέσται οὔτε ἐνταῦθα ὁ πλοῦτος, ἀλλὰ πάντῃ ὁ λόγος.
Just as, if you had been conceived or born in a ship, you would not have strived to be its helmsman—for neither there would the ship be united with you by nature, nor here would wealth be, but rather reason everywhere.
ὅπερ οὖν σοι φυσικὸν καὶ συγγενές, ὁ λόγος, τοῦτο καὶ οἰκεῖον ἡγησάμενος τούτου ἐπιμελοῦ.
Therefore, considering that which is natural and akin to you, namely reason, to be your own, take care of this.
§1212. (23).
12. (23).
Ἐν Πέρσαις μὲν γεννηθεὶς οὐκ 〈ἂν〉 ἔσπευδες οἰκεῖν τὴν Ἑλλάδα, ἀλλʼ αὐτόθι διάγων εὐτυχεῖν· ἐν πενίᾳ δὲ γεννηθείς, τί σπεύδεις πλουτεῖν, ἀλλʼ οὐκ αὐτόθι μένων εὐτυχεῖν;
If you had been born among the Persians, you would not have strived to dwell in Greece, but to be happy while remaining there; having been born in poverty, why do you strive to be rich, rather than to be happy while remaining there?
§1313. (24).
13. (24).
Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ σμικροῦ σκίμποδος θλιβόμενον ὑγιαίνειν ἄμεινον ἢ ἐπὶ πλατείας κλίνης κυλινδούμενον νοσεῖν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν μικρᾷ περιουσίᾳ βέλτιον συστελλόμενον εὐθυμεῖν ἢ ἐν μεγάλῃ τυγχάνοντα δυσθυμεῖν.
Just as it is better to be healthy while cramped on a small cot than to be sick while tossing on a wide bed, so also it is better to be cheerful while living frugally in small means than to be depressed while possessing great fortune.
§1414. (25).
14. (25).
Οὐ πενία λύπην ἐργάζεται, ἀλλὰ ἐπιθυμία· οὐδὲ πλοῦτος φόβου ἀπαλλάττει, ἀλλὰ λογισμός.
It is not poverty that produces sorrow, but desire; nor is it wealth that releases from fear, but reason.
κτησάμενος τοιγαροῦν τὸν λογισμὸν οὔτε πλούτου ἐπιθυμήσεις οὔτε πενίαν μέμψῃ.
Therefore, having acquired reason, you will neither desire wealth nor complain of poverty.
§1515. (26).
15. (26).
Οὔτε ἵππος ἐπὶ φάτνῃ καὶ φαλάροις καὶ τάπησιν οὔτε ὄρνις ἐπὶ βρώμῃ καὶ καλιᾷ ὑψοῦται καὶ γαυριᾷ, ἀλλʼ ἄμφω ἐπὶ κύτητι, ὁ μὲν ποδῶν, ὁ δὲ πτερῶν.
Neither does a horse exalt and pride itself on its manger, harness, and trappings, nor a bird on its food and nest, but both on their swiftness, the one of feet, the other of wings.
καὶ σὺ τοιγαροῦν μὴ ἐπὶ τροφῇ καὶ σκέπῃ καὶ ἁπλῶς τῇ ἔξωθεν περιουσίᾳ μέγα ὀγκύλλου, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ χρηστότητι καὶ εὐποιίᾳ.
You, therefore, likewise, do not puff yourself up because of food, shelter, and in short, external abundance, but because of goodness and well-doing.
§1616. (27).
16. (27).
Τὸ καλῶς ζῆν τοῦ πολυτελῶς διαφέρει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ σωφροσύνης καὶ αὐταρκείας καὶ εὐταξίας καὶ κοσμιότητος καὶ εὐτελείας παραγίνεται, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἀκολασίας καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ ἀταξίας καὶ ἀκοσμίας· τέλος δὲ τοῦ μὲν ἔπαινος ἀληθής, τοῦ δὲ ψόγος.
To live well differs from to live luxuriously; for the one arises from temperance, self-sufficiency, order, decency, and frugality, but the other from licentiousness, luxury, disorder, and indecency; and the end of the one is true praise, of the other, censure.
εἰ τοίνυν βούλει καλῶς ζῆν, μὴ ζήτει μετὰ πολυτελείας ἐπαινεῖσθαι.
If, therefore, you wish to live well, do not seek to be praised along with luxury.