Epictetus Stoic teachings
Epictetus: Do not cling so tightly to old companions…
Do not cling so tightly to old companions that they pull you downward. Choose: remain as you were and be liked, or improve and risk losing them; trying for both brings neither.
A paraphrase of a teaching associated with Epictetus, written for modern readers. Not a transcription of a copyrighted edition.
Growth can change the shape of a friendship. If you are becoming more reliable, sober-minded, patient, or ambitious, some familiar routines may no longer fit. That does not make former friends bad, nor does it require contempt for them. It asks you to be honest about influence. The people closest to us normalize certain conversations, habits, and standards. Over time, we absorb more than we notice. Today, consider the company you keep most often. After time with them, do you feel encouraged toward your better commitments, or pulled back into patterns you have outgrown? Where possible, invite them into healthier routines rather than silently judging them. Seek relationships where truth can be spoken kindly and improvement is welcomed. Change may bring discomfort, but living against your own progress costs more.
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