A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus, with the Encheiridion

Epictetus was born a slave, lived through exile, and taught that freedom is not a matter of circumstance but of judgment. His lectures, recorded by his student Arrian, became the Discourses; the Encheiridion, or Manual, distills the same teaching into a short handbook for daily life. This edition brings together a selection from the Discourses and the complete Encheiridion in George Long's translation.

The central idea is simple to state and hard to practice: some things are up to us and some are not. Our judgments, desires and actions are our own; our body, property, reputation and circumstances are not. Suffering comes from treating the second group as if it were the first. Epictetus returns to this distinction again and again, using everyday examples, sharp humor and direct address. He discusses insult, grief, fear, illness, death, duty and the discipline of attention. He does not promise an easy life, but a free one.

Readers come to Epictetus for practical wisdom rather than abstract theory. His voice is direct, sometimes abrasive, always engaged. The Encheiridion has been used as a manual for centuries, and the Discourses show the teaching in action, with questions, objections and replies. This edition is for anyone new to Stoicism, for students of philosophy, and for book groups interested in how ancient ideas bear on modern life.

This edition contains the full text of this selection and the complete Encheiridion, with George Long's own short account of Epictetus's life, plus a new introduction, a guide to key ideas, a summary, themes, a glossary and discussion questions.