Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 26
Chapter 26 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[26.1] τὸ βούλημα τῆς φύσεως καταμαθεῖν ἔστιν ἐξ ὧν οὐ διαφερόμεθα πρὸς ἀλλήλους. οἷον, ὅταν ἄλλου παιδάριον κατεάξῃ τὸ ποτήριον, πρόχειρον εὐθὺς λέγειν ὅτι τῶν γινομένων ἐστίν. ἴσθι οὖν, ὅτι, ὅταν καὶ τὸ σὸν κατεαγῇ, τοιοῦτον εἶναί σε δεῖ, ὁποῖον ὅτε καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἄλλου κατεάγη. οὕτω μετατίθει καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ μείζονα. τέκνον ἄλλου τέθνηκεν ἢ γυνή; οὐδείς ἐστιν ὃς οὐκ ἂν εἴποι ὅτι ἀνθρώπινον· ἀλλʼ ὅταν τὸ αὐτοῦ τινος ἀποθάνῃ, εὐθὺς οἴμοι, τάλας ἐγώ. ἐχρῆν δὲ μεμνῆσθαι, τί πάσχομεν περὶ ἄλλων αὐτὸ ἀκούσαντες.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections for fidelity, Stoic precision, clarity, structure, and cadence.
[26.1] The will of nature may be learned from those matters in which we do not differ from one another. For example, when another person’s little slave breaks a cup, the ready response is, “These things happen.” Know, then, that when your own cup is broken, you ought to be just as you were when another person’s was broken. Apply the same principle to greater matters. Someone else’s child or wife has died. There is no one who would not say, “Such is the human lot.” But when one’s own child or wife dies, the immediate cry is, “Alas! Wretched me!” Yet we ought to remember how we feel when we hear that the same thing has happened to others.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[26.1] The will of nature can be learned from the things about which we do not differ from one another. For example, when someone else’s little slave breaks a cup, the immediate response is, “These things happen.” Know, then, that when your own cup is broken, you should react just as you did when someone else’s was broken. Apply this in the same way to more serious matters. Someone else’s child or wife has died. There is no one who would not say, “That is part of being human.” But when someone’s own child or wife dies, he immediately cries, “Oh, how miserable I am!” Yet we should remember how we feel when we hear that the same thing has happened to others.