Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 4
Chapter 4 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[4.1] ὅταν ἅπτεσθαί τινος ἔργου μέλλῃς, ὑπομίμνῃσκε σεαυτόν, ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ ἔργον. ἐὰν λουσόμενος ἀπίῃς, πρόβαλλε σεαυτῷ τὰ γινόμενα ἐν βαλανείῳ, τοὺς ἀπορραίνοντας, τοὺς ἐγκρουομένους, τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας, τοὺς κλέπτοντας. καὶ οὕτως ἀσφαλέστερον ἅψῃ τοῦ ἔργου, ἐὰν ἐπιλέγῃς εὐθὺς ὅτι λούσασθαι θέλω καὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν κατὰ φύσιν ἔχουσαν τηρῆσαι. καὶ ὡσαύτως ἐφʼ ἑκάστου ἔργου. οὕτω γὰρ ἄν τι πρὸς τὸ λούσασθαι γένηται ἐμποδών, πρόχειρον ἔσται διότι ἀλλʼ οὐ τοῦτο ἤθελον μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν ἐμαυτοῦ προαίρεσιν κατὰ φύσιν ἔχουσαν τηρῆσαι· οὐ τηρήσω δέ, ἐὰν ἀγανακτῶ πρὸς τὰ γινόμενα.
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.
[4.1] Whenever you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what kind of action it is. If you are going out to bathe, set before your mind the things that happen at a public bath: people splashing water, jostling one another, hurling abuse, and stealing. You will undertake the action more securely if you say to yourself at the outset, “I want to bathe, and I also want to preserve my moral purpose in accordance with nature.” And do the same with every action. For then, if anything hinders you from bathing, this thought will be ready at hand: “But bathing was not the only thing I wanted; I also wanted to preserve my moral purpose in accordance with nature. And I will not preserve it if I become indignant at what happens.”
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[4.1] Whenever you are about to undertake some action, remind yourself what kind of action it is. If you are going out to bathe, picture to yourself what happens at a public bath: people splashing you, people jostling you, people insulting you, and people stealing from you. You will undertake the action more securely if you say at once, “I want to bathe and also to preserve my faculty of choice in accordance with nature.” Do the same with every action. In this way, if anything interferes with your bathing, you will be ready to say, “But bathing was not the only thing I wanted; I also wanted to preserve my faculty of choice in accordance with nature. And I will not preserve it if I become angry at what happens.”