Enchiridion of Epictetus

Epictetus (about 55 to about 135) was a Greek Stoic philosopher. He spent his youth as a slave in Rome, in the household of Epaphroditus, a wealthy freedman who had served the emperor Nero. After gaining his freedom he taught philosophy, first in Rome and later in the city of Nicopolis in Greece. He himself wrote nothing, and his teachings were recorded by his pupil Arrian.

The Enchiridion, whose Greek title means handbook or something close at hand, is a short digest of his ideas prepared by Arrian. It consists of fifty-odd brief chapters that present the central teaching of Stoicism: that we should distinguish what depends on us, such as our opinions and choices, from what does not, such as our bodies, our property and our reputation. The text has been used as a manual of conduct since antiquity, and its influence extends from Marcus Aurelius to modern therapists.

This LibriVox recording uses the English translation by Elizabeth Carter, a learned woman of the eighteenth century, first published in 1758. It is a single section lasting about fifty-five minutes and is read by D.E. Wittkower. The maxims are short and can be listened to a few at a time, though they also reward an uninterrupted hearing. For anyone interested in philosophy as a way of life, or simply in practical advice on coping with difficulty, this ancient handbook is still remarkably fresh. It is short, memorable and endlessly quotable, and it can be heard in a single sitting.