August 22, 2026

What Cannot Be Impeded

Disease is an impediment to the body, but not to the will, unless the will itself chooses. Lameness is an impediment to the leg, but not to the will. And add this reflection on the occasion of everything that happens; for you will find it an impediment to something else, but not to yourself.

Epictetus had been a slave before he became a teacher, and he knew firsthand how little control a person can have over their body, their freedom, or their circumstances. His student Arrian later compiled his teachings into the Enchiridion, a short handbook meant to be carried and practiced daily. Here Epictetus draws a sharp line between what happens to the body and what happens to the will, the seat of judgment and choice. A limp can slow a leg, sickness can weaken flesh, but neither can touch the part of a person that decides how to respond. This is the heart of the Stoic teaching that virtue alone is good: health and reputation are preferred but external, while only the character we bring to any situation is entirely ours and entirely sufficient for a good life.

A principle of Stoicism: Virtue Is the Only Good →