Roman Philosopher Epictetus’s 3 Stoic Tenets

Born a slave, this freedom-loving Roman taught Stoicism’s power to the ancient world.

An artist’s impression of the Roman philosopher Epictetus. An engraving from a frontispiece of Edward Ivie’s 1715 Latin translation of Epictetus’s “Handbook.”  (Right) A bust of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius. Although born at the extreme opposite of the social hierarchy, Marcus Aurelius credited Epictetus extensively as his intellectual mentor. Daniel Martin/CC BY-SA 4.0

Out of the many schools of philosophy from the ancient world, Stoicism enjoys the most contemporary popularity.

Stoics developed intricate conceptual systems, but their main concern was how to live well. The philosopher Epictetus (circa A.D. 50–circa 135) was especially interested in this topic. His tenet was simple: Wellbeing is a choice. Here are Epictetus’s three key lessons for learning how to choose.

Understand Human Nature

Stoicism began in Ancient Greece around the end of the 5th century B.C. Most texts from that period haven’t survived. To figure out what Stoics believed, scholars usually consult later Greek and Latin thinkers from the Roman Empire. Epictetus is prominent among them, even though every text that cites him as an author is a compilation of classroom notes by one of his students.