Library / Philosophy

The Enchiridion

Epictetus

A pocket manual for keeping your calm. The essential maxims of Stoicism, short and direct, to reread in five minutes when you need them most.

Reading: 8 chapters
Format: Text + tutor
Price: $4.99

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About the book

A work to return to, not to consume.

Enchiridion means “what you keep at hand”: a handbook to carry with you. Arrian, a student of Epictetus, condensed his teacher's central ideas into very short chapters you can apply in the moment. The first line sets the tone: some things are up to you and some are not. From there come concrete pieces of advice: do not be disturbed by what you do not control, accept what happens without fighting it, play the role you were given well even if you did not choose it, see what price you pay for what you want, watch what you say, and measure your progress by how you act rather than by what you know. It is the most direct way into Stoicism and a text many readers carry with them for years.

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Answers from this edition and says when it interprets beyond a quote.

Men are disturbed not by things, but by the views which they take of things.

Epictetus · — Chapter 1

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Inside the book

Chapters

01
Chapters I - VII5 min read
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02
Chapters VIII - XVI4 min read
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03
Chapters XVII - XXIV4 min read
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04
Chapters XXV - XXX5 min read
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05
Chapters XXXI - XXXIII6 min read
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06
Chapters XXXIV - XLIV4 min read
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07
Chapters XLV - L4 min read
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08
Chapters LI - LIII7 min read
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The author

Epictetus

Epictetus (c. 50–135) was born a slave and lived in Rome before gaining his freedom and devoting himself to teaching Stoic philosophy. After Domitian banished the philosophers from Rome, he founded a school in Nicopolis, in Greece, which drew young men from across the Empire. He never wrote: his student Arrian gathered his teachings and composed this handbook from them.

Questions

Is it too short to be a whole book?

It is short on purpose: it is a handbook. Its value is in rereading and applying it, and the tutor helps you bring each maxim into situations from your life.

Am I really talking with Epictetus?

No. The conversation is an AI recreation* inspired by the text: it is not Epictetus and it can be wrong. Use it to think the book through, not as the author's own word.

How much does it cost?

The book costs US$4.99, or it comes included in ChaTutor Plus. You can read the opening of chapter 1 without signing up. A free account unlocks the whole chapter, the tutor and a full book free every week.

Is the book complete?

Yes: the complete text, chapter by chapter, in English and Spanish.

* AI recreation. Not the author; it may contain errors.