Epictetus · Complete work
Chapter 46
Chapter 46 of 53. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
Open the complete readerOriginal Ancient Greek
[46.1] μηδαμοῦ σεαυτὸν εἴπῃς φιλόσοφον μηδὲ λάλει τὸ πολὺ ἐν ἰδιώταις περὶ τῶν θεωρημάτων, ἀλλὰ ποίει τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν θεωρημάτων· οἷον ἐν συμποσίῳ μὴ λέγε, πῶς δεῖ ἐσθίειν, ἀλλʼ ἔσθιε, ὡς δεῖ. μέμνησο γάρ, ὅτι οὕτως ἀφῃρήκει πανταχόθεν Σωκράτης τὸ ἐπιδεικτικόν, ὥστε ἤρχοντο πρὸς αὐτὸν βουλόμενοι φιλοσόφοις ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συσταθῆναι, κἀκεῖνος ἀπῆγεν αὐτούς.
[46.2] οὕτως ἠνείχετο παρορώμενος. κἂν περὶ θεωρήματός τινος ἐν ἰδιώταις ἐμπίπτῃ λόγος, σιώπα τὸ πολύ· μέγας γὰρ ὁ κίνδυνος εὐθὺς ἐξεμέσαι, ὃ οὐκ ἔπεψας. καὶ ὅταν εἴπῃ σοί τις, ὅτι οὐδὲν οἶσθα, καὶ σὺ μὴ δηχθῇς, τότε ἴσθι, ὅτι ἄρχῃ τοῦ ἔργου. ἐπεὶ καὶ τὰ πρόβατα οὐ χόρτον φέροντα τοῖς ποιμέσιν ἐπιδεικνύει πόσον, ἔφαγεν, ἀλλὰ τὴν νομὴν ἔσω πέψαντα ἔρια ἔξω φέρει καὶ γάλα· καὶ σὺ τοίνυν μὴ τὰ θεωρήματα τοῖς ἰδιώταις ἐπιδείκνυε, ἀλλʼ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν πεφθέντων τὰ ἔργα.
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.
[46.1] Never call yourself a philosopher, and do not talk at length among laymen about philosophical principles; instead, act in accordance with those principles. At a banquet, for example, do not say how one ought to eat, but eat as one ought. Remember how completely Socrates had stripped himself of all ostentation: people would come to him wishing to be introduced by him to philosophers, and he would take them to those philosophers.
[46.2] So patiently did he endure being overlooked. And if a discussion of some philosophical principle should arise among laymen, keep silent for the most part; for there is great danger that you will immediately vomit up what you have not digested. And whenever someone tells you that you know nothing, and you are not stung by it, then know that you are beginning the work. Sheep do not bring their fodder to the shepherds and display how much they have eaten; they digest their pasture within and outwardly produce wool and milk. You likewise should not display philosophical principles to laymen, but rather the actions that come from those principles once they have been digested.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 53 Ancient Greek chapters and 105 sections.
[46.1] Never call yourself a philosopher, and do not talk at length among ordinary people about philosophical principles. Instead, act in accordance with those principles. For example, at a banquet do not say how one ought to eat, but eat as one ought. Remember that Socrates had so completely eliminated ostentation from his conduct that people would come to him wanting him to introduce them to philosophers, and he would take them to those philosophers.
[46.2] That is how he endured being overlooked. And if a discussion of some philosophical principle arises among ordinary people, remain silent for the most part, since there is a great danger that you will immediately vomit up what you have not digested. When someone tells you that you know nothing and you are not stung by it, then know that you are beginning the work. Sheep do not bring their fodder to the shepherds and show them how much they have eaten; they digest their feed inside themselves and produce wool and milk outwardly. In the same way, do not display philosophical principles to ordinary people, but, once you have digested them, display the actions that come from them.