Epictetus: Stoic Wisdom for Leaders (Quotes to Live By)

Whether you lead a company, a team or yourself, you are a leader.  During tough times, we can all benefit from a little advice from those who have come before us.

In this article, I’ll share wisdom from an early Stoic philosopher, Epictetus.  The quotes that follow are curated for one purpose: to spark self reflection AND to increase awareness that we have limited control of our circumstances, but infinite control over ourselves and our responses.

Epictetus was born a Roman slave in the middle of the first century AD.  He is credited with being one of the guiding voices of Stoic philosophy.  To read more about him, check out his page on Wikipedia, or better yet, learn more from modern Stoic, Ryan Holiday.

Enjoy these wise words from Epictetus!

Understand What You Control

Make the best use of what’s in your power and take the rest as it happens.

There is only one way to happiness and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. 

Don’t seek for everything to happen as you wish it would, but rather wish that everything happens as it actually will – then your life will flow well.

It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters. 

Man is not worried by real problems so much as by his imagined anxieties about real problems.

Circumstances don’t make the man, they only reveal him to himself. 

Self-Leadership

It is impossible to begin to learn that which one thinks one already knows.  

Control thy passions lest they take vengeance on thee.

Any person capable of angering you becomes your master; he can anger you only when you permit yourself to be disturbed by him.

The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Communication and Action

First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak.

Nature hath given men one tongue but two ears, that we may hear from others twice as much as we speak.

People are not disturbed by things, but by the views they take of them.

First say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do.

Freedom

Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control. 

Only the educated are free.

No man is free who is not master of himself.

Thanks for reading through these quotes by Stoic philosopher, Epictetus. Which quote was most meaningful to you? Is there anything you’ll do differently based on the wise words presented here? If so, leave a comment.

If you’re looking for more great quotes for leaders, click here.

Make it a great day!