Epictetus Enchiridion
Epictetus: Don't wish to be thought to know anything;…
Don't wish to be thought to know anything; and even if you appear to be somebody important to others, distrust yourself. For, it is difficult to both keep your faculty of choice in a state conformable to nature, and at the same time acquire external things.
The passage follows a public-domain translation of the Enchiridion. The reading beside it is ours.
The desire to appear impressive can quietly take over a life. You pretend to understand a topic, chase titles, or speak more confidently than you feel because being seen as important seems safer than being ordinary. Epictetus warns that this bargain is expensive. External recognition asks for constant maintenance: more comparison, more performance, more anxiety about slipping. Meanwhile, the work of governing yourself gets neglected. It is okay to be competent and to let your work be visible. The danger is making admiration your aim. You do not need an opinion on every subject, nor must you defend an image of being the smartest person in the room. Practice saying, I do not know, or, I need to think about that. Let your standard be whether you are learning and acting well, not whether strangers have assigned you a flattering role.
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