Epictetus Texts

 1.3:1-6

     If someone should be sympathetic to this doctrine, in relation to his worth that he is able, that we had all principally happened by the God and the God is Father of both human beings and the gods, I suspect that nothing low-born neither humiliating will he take to heart about himself. But if in fact Caesar should adopt you into his family, no one will raise his eyebrow at you; and if you experience that you are a son of the God, will you not be lifted high? But now we don’t do it, but since these two things have been mixed together with our birth, the body in fact common with the animals, and the logos and the means of knowing common with the gods, others in fact turn off at this kinship which is failure and a corpse, but a few at the Divine and happy. Since therefore it is a necessity for every person to assail each thing in this way as he would interpret concerning it, those few in fact, as many as suspect to have come to exist for a realization, and for a reverent awe, and for a secure stability of the usefulness of impressions, they take to heart nothing humiliating neither low-born about themselves, but the many just the opposite. “Because what am I? A miserable manikin?” and “my wretched bit of flesh.” The bit of flesh in fact being wretched, but you also possess something better than the bits of flesh. What then are you dropping that for and have clung to these things?

2.17:22b-25

…and simply want nothing else than what things the God wants. And who will prevent you? Who will force you? Not more than the God. When you should have such a leader as the God and you should wish together with and reach together with such a one, what are you still afraid you might fail for? Charitably give your cravings and your aversion to poverty and wealth; you will fail, you will encounter it. Elsewise to health; you will be unfortunate; to offices, to honors, to home countries, to friends, to children, simply if to any of the things not under the control of your own will. But charitably give them to the God, to the other gods; hand your cravings and aversions over to them, they will pilot you, your cravings and aversions have been marshaled to battle by aid of them; and how are you still unlucky?

2.8:11-14

     Yet you are a being that goes first and leads the way, you are a shred of the God; you have within yourself some part of that One. What then are you ignorant of your kinship for? Why don’t you instinctively know from where you had come? Don’t you want to have remembered, when you eat, what Being you are who is eating, and whom you are feeding? When you should have sexual intercourse, what Being you are who is having sexual intercourse? When with company? When training in exercise? When conversing? Don’t you know that you are feeding Divinity, you are training Divinity in exercise, you are carrying Divinity around with you, wretch, and you are ignorant. Is it your opinion that I’m speaking of something silver or gold external to yourself? You are carrying Him within yourself and staining Him by dirty whims and filthy practices, and you don’t take notice. And when a statue of the God is present you wouldn’t dare to do any of these things you are doing. Yet when this God is present internally and overseeing and overhearing everything do you feel no shame taking these things to heart and doing them, senseless of your own nature and object of Divine wrath?