April 16, 2026
It is not things themselves that trouble us, but our judgments about those things. — Epictetus, Enchiridion
Epictetus, a former slave turned philosopher, understood suffering intimately. He taught that while external events lie beyond our control, our internal judgments remain entirely our own. This insight became foundational to Stoicism: the gap between what happens and how we interpret it is where our freedom lives. Today, when we face stress and disappointment, we still discover truth in his words.
Reflection
Notice one situation troubling you today. Can you separate the bare fact of what occurred from the story you've constructed about it? What if you suspended judgment for just one hour and observed the event plainly?