Crows pick out the eyes of the dead, when the dead have no longer need of them; but flatterers mar the soul of the living, and her eyes they blind.
EpictetusRead
At this time is freedom anything but the right to live as we wish? Nothing else.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Freedom is about the ability to live according to our own desires and choices.
In this quote, Epictetus emphasizes that true freedom lies in the ability to live oneβs life as one wishes, free from external constraints or pressures. It suggests that the essence of being free is not merely the absence of limitations, but rather the presence of autonomy in making personal choices that reflect our own values and intentions.
Themes
FreedomChoiceAutonomyLifePhilosophy
In practice
Example use cases
During a speech on personal development, one might use this quote to emphasize self-determination.
More from Epictetus
All quotes βLearn to distinguish what you can and can't control. Within our control are our own opinions, aspirations, desires and the things that repel us. They are directly subject to our influence.
EpictetusRead
Men are disturbed not by the things that happen, but by their opinion of the things that happen.
EpictetusRead
Nothing truly stops you. Nothing truly holds you back. For your own will is always within your control. Sickness may challenge your body. But are you merely your body? Lameness may impede your legs. But you are not merely your legs. Your will is bigger than your legs. Your will needn't be affected by an incident unless you let it.
EpictetusRead
The people have a right to the truth as they have a right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
EpictetusRead
Practice yourself, for heaven's sake, in little things, and thence proceed to greater.
EpictetusRead
Similar quotes
All, too, will bear in mind this sacred principle, that though the will of the majority is in all cases to prevail, that will to be rightful must be reasonable; that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal law must protect, and to violate would be oppression.
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By binding image and desire, glamour gives us pleasure, even as it heightens our yearning. It leads us to feel that the life we dream of exists, and to desire it even more.
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In Italy, the country where fascism was born, we have a particular relation with the Holocaust, but as a turning point in history it belongs to everybody in the world. It is a part of humanity.
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Men walk almost always in the paths trodden by others, proceeding in their actions by imitation.
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Do you wish people to think well of you? Don't speak well of yourself.
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Your enemies hate you more than they hate your ideas. Should you want a project to be undone propose it. Even if it were as useful as a bishop's mire it would be rejected. Once you are defeated let the humblest-looking among you sponsor it and your enemies to humble you will approve it.
Jose RizalRead