Act not according to your desires, but according to your highest principles. — Epictetus
—What lingers after this line?
Reason Over Impulse
This quote draws attention to the importance of acting based on reason and reflection rather than being governed by fleeting emotions or desires. It asks us to prioritize our higher principles over short-term cravings or impulses.
Moral Integrity
It emphasizes the importance of adhering to one’s core values and ethical beliefs. One’s highest principles represent a moral compass that should guide actions, even when desires pull in a different direction.
Stoic Philosophy
As a key figure in Stoicism, Epictetus promoted the idea of self-discipline and virtue. This quote underscores a central Stoic teaching: to remain indifferent to external influences and to only act in line with virtue and wisdom.
Self-Control
The quote focuses on the strength of self-control. By encouraging us to overcome desires, Epictetus advises us to cultivate mastery over personal whims in favor of making decisions that align with a higher sense of purpose.
Long-term Perspective
By acting according to principles rather than desires, one is likely to achieve long-term fulfillment. Desires often seek immediate gratification, while principles ensure sustained, meaningful progress.
Recommended Reading
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
One-minute reflection
What does this quote ask you to notice today?
Related Quotes
6 selectedPractice yourself, for heaven's sake, in little things; and thence proceed to greater. — Epictetus
Epictetus
Epictetus urges us to abandon the fantasy of sudden greatness and begin where we actually stand: with small, manageable acts. His phrasing is almost impatient—“for heaven’s sake”—as if to say that wisdom is not hidden in...
Read full interpretation →Stop waiting for the right mood. You can do anything when you are in the mood. The problem is what you do when you are not. — Epictetus
Epictetus
Epictetus opens with a blunt challenge: if you keep waiting to “feel like it,” you hand control of your life to a passing emotion. In that pleasant surge of energy—when the mood is right—almost anyone can show courage, f...
Read full interpretation →First, say to yourself what you would be; and then do what you have to do. — Epictetus
Epictetus
This quote emphasizes the importance of self-reflection. To achieve your goals, you must first define what you want to be and set a clear vision for yourself.
Read full interpretation →Through discipline, freedom is born. — Epictetus
Epictetus
Epictetus, a Stoic philosopher who lived as a slave before gaining his freedom, professed that real liberation arises through discipline. At first glance, this statement might seem contradictory: how can self-imposed rul...
Read full interpretation →To command is to serve. You cannot lead others until you have first learned to lead yourself. — Seneca
Seneca
At first glance, Seneca’s claim that “to command is to serve” seems contradictory, yet it captures a central Stoic insight: authority is not license for domination but a duty to others. In this view, a leader’s power is...
Read full interpretation →The more disciplined you become, the easier life gets. — Steve Pavlina
Steve Pavlina
At first glance, Steve Pavlina’s quote seems paradoxical: discipline sounds hard, while an easy life sounds effortless. Yet the statement suggests that voluntary effort in the present prevents unnecessary struggle later.
Read full interpretation →More From Author
More from Epictetus →No great thing is created suddenly, any more than a bunch of grapes or a fig. If you tell me that you desire a fig, I answer you that there must be time. — Epictetus
Epictetus begins with a plain but memorable comparison: greatness does not appear all at once, just as fruit does not spring ripe from the branch in a single instant. By pairing human ambition with the slow growth of gra...
Read full interpretation →One that desires to excel should endeavor in those things that are in themselves most excellent. — Epictetus
Epictetus condenses a demanding moral vision into a single sentence: anyone who wants to become excellent must direct effort toward what is genuinely worthy, not merely impressive. At once, he shifts the focus from ambit...
Read full interpretation →Practice yourself, for heaven's sake, in little things; and thence proceed to greater. — Epictetus
Epictetus urges us to abandon the fantasy of sudden greatness and begin where we actually stand: with small, manageable acts. His phrasing is almost impatient—“for heaven’s sake”—as if to say that wisdom is not hidden in...
Read full interpretation →Nothing is powerful unless you empower it. — Epictetus
At first glance, Epictetus reduces power to a surprisingly intimate scale: things do not rule us on their own; they gain force when we grant them importance, fear, or authority. As a Stoic philosopher teaching in the ear...
Read full interpretation →