![]() Mad about a traffic jam? Furious that you forgot to pay your credit card bill on time? Take a moment to think about whether the situation is within your control. “We should always be asking ourselves: “Is this something that is, or is not, in my control?” ― Epictetus Distinguishing between what is in your control and what isn't in your control is the first step on the road to a virtuous and happy life, according to this school of thought. Here we have a succinct description of an essential part of Stoic philosophy. Where then do I look for good and evil? Not to uncontrollable externals, but within myself to the choices that are my own…" – Epictetus "The chief task in life is simply this: to identify and separate matters so that I can say clearly to myself which are externals not under my control, and which have to do with the choices I actually control. In his view, we have control over "whatever is of our own doing." Whatever is not of our own doing, however, is outside of our power. What's in your control? As we'll learn from Epictetus, only a small handful of things. To help us tap into what the Stoics are talking about when they discuss the topic of control, we've compiled a giant list of quotes from our favorite Stoic philosophers and other thinkers, writers, athletes, and more.Īre You Ready to Accept What You Can't Control? Stoic Quotes on What Is In Your Control On the flip side, others might assume that they have no agency in the parts of life that they truly could take control of. ![]() Some people might try to have way too much control over things that are simply out of their hands. Typically, people exist somewhere on a spectrum when it comes to their relationship to themselves and the rest of the world. The Greek philosopher Epictetus taught extensively about understanding what you have control over and accepting those things that are outside of your control. According to the countless Stoic quotes on control available, the recipe for a happy life involves correctly identifying what you have control over and focusing your energy there while learning to accept what you don't have the power to change. One of the reasons that Stoic philosophy has had a comeback in recent years is because of the revolutionary effect it can have on your life to understand what you have control over and what you don't have control over.
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