Epictetus Enchiridion
Epictetus: Don't stop it. Is it not yet come? Don't…
Don't stop it. Is it not yet come? Don't stretch your desire towards it, but wait till it reaches you. Do this with regard to children, to a wife, to public posts, to riches, and you will eventually be a worthy partner of the feasts of the gods.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of the Enchiridion. The reading beside it is ours.
A craving grows more powerful when you feed it with constant attention. You refresh the inbox, obsess over a job opening, imagine the relationship, or mentally spend money you do not have. Epictetus advises restraint before the thing arrives: do not stretch desire toward it. Waiting is not inactivity. It is refusing to let an uncertain future occupy your whole mind. You can apply, save, plan, and prepare without living emotionally in a result that has not happened. This is especially useful when something seems like the answer to all your problems. A new role, a new city, or more income may be welcome, but none deserves your peace as collateral. Let opportunities come in their own time, and meet them with readiness rather than hunger. The practice today is simple: when you catch yourself reaching ahead, return to the task and people already in front of you.
Related passages
- Epictetus It is not only longing for money or rank that makes us dependent. Longing for quiet, leisure, travel, or learning can…
- Seneca Anger must not merely move, but break out of bounds, being an impulse: now, no impulse can take place without the…
- Epictetus At the first impression, do not be swept away. Tell it: wait, let me learn what you are and test you.