“Nikopolis, Basilica A ('of Doumetios'): mosaics” by Dan Diffendale, CC BY-NC-SA 2.0

You ought to realize, you take up very little space in the world as a whole—your body, that is; in reason, however, you yield to no one, not even to the gods, because reason is not measured in size but sense. So why not care for that side of you, where you and the gods are equals?

We've read Marcus Aurelius. We've read Seneca's letters. We've even read Epictetus before; his Enchiridion was the first book we read, in June of 2023. This November we will pick up and examine once again our strongest thread: Stoicism. And why not? Of all philosophical schools you could say this one is "having a moment", thanks to its many present-day popularizers and celebrity fans. Marcus' Meditations brought us what was easily our best turnout ever. It seems like the people are ready to listen. So we will strike again, with the Discourses of Epictetus.

I say "of", not "by", because Epictetus, like Socrates, didn't actually write anything down. All of his works come from the pen of his student Arrian, a fascinating figure in his own right. The Discourses are supposed to be a straightforward record of Epictetus' own words, delivered in lectures that must have been of formidable power and persuasiveness. Arrian: "the listener was compelled to feel just what Epictetus wanted him to feel". We can only imagine; all we have now is the words themselves. But what words they are!