Look, it just doesn't happen. People do not tend to handle power well and what we know from history is that they absolutely cannot handle absolute power well.
So how did it happen then? How did Marcus Aurelius remain good? How did he manage to remain a master of himself while he was literally the master of millions?
It's because he was handed a book as a teenager. His philosophy teacher thought he would benefit from reading "Epictetus's lectures," which, Marcus tells us, he loaned him from his own shelf. It was this remarkable bit of philosophy—the teachings of a slave—which properly trained and oriented Marcus Aurelius to be the richest, most powerful, most famous human on Earth. How crazy is that?
Except it's not crazy. Because Epictetus knew not just adversity and pain (having spent 30 years of his life as a slave), but he also knew temptation and corruption and vanity (having spent the bulk of his life attached to an owner who worked directly with the Emperor Nero). What Epictetus learned in his fascinating life—beginning in slavery and culminating in a legacy as one of the most influential philosophers of all time—was simple, profound, and enduring. Perhaps his greatest insight, shaped by his experiences as a slave, was what he called "our chief task" in life: to distinguish between what is up to us and what is not. He taught that true freedom comes from recognizing what lies beyond our control and focusing only on, in his language, what is up to us (ta eph'hemin).
This is why the most powerful Romans flocked to learn from the former slave—including the emperor Hadrian himself. It's why countless Roman families sent their children to learn from Epictetus at his school in Nicopolis. And that's why we're spending this month doing a deep dive into Epictetus—because if reading him changed Marcus Aurelius' life, how might he change yours?
That's right, just like we did with Marcus Aurelius and his Meditations recently, this July is Epictetus Month at Daily Stoic, where we'll be peeling back the layers of Epictetus and his Discourses—the "lectures" that Marcus read as a teenager—and show you how to actually apply this wisdom to improve your life and the lives of those around.
It's the companion we wished we had when we first started reading Epictetus, and now, during Epictetus Month, we're inviting you to work through his teachings with us alongside thousands of others around the world who are committed to rising above temptation, living more deliberately, and focusing only on improving what is up to us—and letting go of the rest.
Because unlike Marcus who wrote Meditations for himself, or Seneca who wrote his letters and essays for a public audience, Epictetus never wrote down his philosophy. Instead, it was his student Arrian who transcribed Epictetus' lectures into the book known as Discourses—meaning it was wisdom meant to be heard, not read.
For that reason, we designed our How To Read Epictetus (A Daily Stoic Guide)as a personal field guide—part book club, part masterclass, part daily practice. It's designed to help you not just read the words of Epictetus, but live them—to turn his timeless wisdom into real change in your own life and the lives of those around you.
And if you get the guide before July 26th, you'll receive a private invitation to an exclusive LIVE Q&A with Ryan Holiday, where he'll go deep on all things Epictetus, Stoicism, and how to apply these ideas right now, in today's world.
It's our favorite translation, the one we most recommend, as we've found it to be the most accessible for modern readers today—we have copies available for you to grab here.
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