Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 30
Chapter 30 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[30.1] τὰ καθήκοντα ὡς ἐπίπαν ταῖς σχέσεσι παραμετρεῖται. πατήρ ἐστιν· ὑπαγορεύεται ἐπιμελεῖσθαι, παραχωρεῖν ἁπάντων, ἀνέχεσθαι λοιδοροῦντος, παίοντος. ἀλλὰ πατὴρ κακός ἐστι. μή τι οὖν πρὸς ἀγαθὸν πατέρα φύσει ᾠκειώθης; ἀλλὰ πρὸς πατέρα. ὁ ἀδελφὸς ἀδικεῖ. τήρει τοιγαροῦν τὴν τάξιν τὴν σεαυτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν μηδὲ σκόπει, τί ἐκεῖνος ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ τί σοὶ ποιήσαντι κατὰ φύσιν ἡ σὴ ἕξει προαίρεσις· σὲ γὰρ ἄλλος οὐ βλάψει, ἂν μὴ σὺ θέλῃς· τότε δὲ ἔσῃ βεβλαμμένος, ὅταν ὑπολάβῃς βλάπτεσθαι. οὕτως οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ γείτονος, ἀπὸ τοῦ πολίτου, ἀπὸ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ τὸ καθῆκον εὑρήσεις, ἐὰν τὰς σχέσεις ἐθίζῃ θεωρεῖν.
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.
[30.1] Appropriate actions are generally measured by our relationships. He is your father: you are called upon to care for him, to yield to him in everything, and to endure it when he abuses or strikes you. “But he is a bad father.” Were you naturally bound, then, to a good father? No, simply to a father. Your brother wrongs you. Maintain, therefore, your own proper relation toward him, and do not consider what he does, but what you must do for your moral purpose to remain in accordance with nature. For another person will not harm you unless you wish it; you will have been harmed only when you suppose that you are harmed. In this way, then, you will discover the appropriate action required by a neighbor, a citizen, or a general, if you make a habit of examining your relationships.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[30.1] Appropriate actions are generally determined by relationships. He is your father: this requires you to take care of him, yield to him in everything, and endure it when he insults or strikes you. “But he is a bad father.” Were you naturally assigned specifically to a good father, then? No, simply to a father. Your brother wrongs you. Then preserve your own proper role toward him, and do not consider what he is doing, but what you must do for your faculty of choice to remain in accordance with nature. For another person will not harm you unless you choose to be harmed; you will have been harmed only when you judge that you have been harmed. In this way, you will discover the appropriate action toward a neighbor, a fellow citizen, or a general, if you make a habit of considering your relationships.