The Art of Living

The Art of Living by Epictetus is a collection of teachings and insights drawn from the work of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus who lived during the first and second centuries AD. This book distills the core principles of Stoic philosophy into a practical guide to living a virtuous and meaningful life. It primarily focuses on how individuals can achieve tranquility wisdom and contentment by accepting the things they cannot control and focusing their energy on their own thoughts actions and responses. At the heart of Epictetus' philosophy is the idea of control: recognizing the distinction between things we can control (our thoughts actions and attitudes) and things we cannot control (the actions of others external events and outcomes). Epictetus teaches that suffering arises from attaching our happiness to external circumstances such as wealth fame or approval from others. Instead true happiness is found by focusing on developing virtue practicing self-discipline and exercising our inner freedom.