Chapter XXXIII
by Epictetus • Book 32
This chapter helps you maintain your inner peace and personal dignity amidst social pressures and external distractions. By learning to guard your character and speech, you cultivate a resilient and grounded presence.
“If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you, but answer: “He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.””
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.