Chapter XIX
by Epictetus • Book 19
This chapter helps you break free from the exhausting trap of comparing your success to the external achievements of others. By learning to focus only on what is within your control, you can reclaim your peace of mind and true personal freedom.
“For if the essence of good consists in things within our own power, there will be no room for envy or emulation.”
Related Remedies for Anxiety
See allChapter I
This chapter helps you reclaim your inner peace by distinguishing clearly between what is within your power and what lies completely outside of it. By releasing your attachment to uncontrollable outcomes, you liberate yourself from unnecessary distress and helplessness.
Chapter II
This chapter helps you release the agonizing urge to control outcomes beyond your reach, such as illness, loss, or hardship. By gently withdrawing your attachments and fears from external circumstances, you protect your inner peace from chronic disappointment.