Epictetus Epictetus Quotes
Stoic philosopher and former slave
Epictetus Epictetus was stoic philosopher and former slave from Greece. Around 50 CE, a boy was born into slavery in Hierapolis, Phrygia.
“How long are you going to wait before you demand the best for yourself?”— Epictetus Epictetus
Opening line of Enchiridion 51, compiled by Arrian from Epictetus's lectures in Nicopolis around 125 CE. Popularized by Sharon Lebell's The Art of Living.
The Story of Epictetus
A Slave in Hierapolis
Around 50 CE, a boy was born into slavery in Hierapolis, Phrygia. His mother was a slave. He had no name of his own, so people called him Epictetus, which simply means acquired. Sold young, he was sent to Rome to serve Epaphroditus, a rich freedman who worked as secretary to Emperor Nero.
Lessons in Chains
Inside Epaphroditus's household, the boy walked with a limp. Ancient writers blamed his master's cruelty; others blamed disease. Still a slave, he was allowed to attend the lectures of Musonius Rufus, the most respected Stoic teacher in Rome. There, between errands, he learned that no one could enslave his mind.
Teaching in Nicopolis
Freed after Nero's death in 68 CE, Epictetus taught philosophy in Rome until Emperor Domitian expelled all philosophers around 93 CE. He crossed to Nicopolis in western Greece and opened a school there. Senators, soldiers, and future emperors walked in. He owned a lamp, a mat, and a clay bowl.
Words Caught by a Student
Epictetus wrote nothing. His student Arrian took down his lectures, producing the Discourses and the short handbook called the Enchiridion. Two thousand years later, those notes still reach people in prisons, hospitals, and war zones. Marcus Aurelius quoted him. So did Admiral Stockdale, who survived seven years in Hanoi.
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