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 selectedStop 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 →The young man or the young woman must possess or teach himself, train himself, in infinite patience, which is to try and to try and to try until it comes right. He must train himself in ruthless intolerance. — William Faulkner
William Faulkner
At first glance, Faulkner’s statement appears severe, yet its force comes from pairing two qualities that are often treated as opposites: infinite patience and ruthless intolerance. He argues that any young person hoping...
Read full interpretation →The only discipline that lasts is self-discipline. — Bum Phillips
Bum Phillips
At its heart, Bum Phillips’s remark argues that external pressures fade, but inner restraint remains. Rules can be imposed, motivation can surge and disappear, and praise can briefly energize us; however, self-discipline...
Read full interpretation →Self-discipline is the ability to do what you should do, when you should do it. — Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy
Brian Tracy’s definition strips self-discipline down to its practical essence: not merely knowing the right thing, but doing it at the right moment. In other words, discipline is less about inspiration than about obedien...
Read full interpretation →More From Author
More from Epictetus →It is in no man's power to have whatever he wants, but he has it in his power not to wish for what he hasn't got, and cheerfully make the most of the things that do come his way. — Epictetus
Epictetus begins with a sober truth: no one can command reality to supply every desire. Fortune, health, status, and even the actions of other people remain only partly within our reach.
Read full interpretation →It is not he who reviles or strikes you who insults you, but your opinion that these things are insulting. — Epictetus
Epictetus flips the usual story of offense: the injury is not located in another person’s words or blows, but in the meaning we assign to them. By separating the event from our evaluation of it, he argues that what feels...
Read full interpretation →The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best. — Epictetus
Epictetus frames companionship not as a casual preference but as a moral and psychological environment. In his Stoic teaching, character is the central project of life, so the people you keep become part of the training...
Read full interpretation →If you are tempted to look outside yourself for approval, you have compromised your integrity. — Epictetus
Epictetus compresses a whole Stoic ethic into a blunt caution: the moment you feel pulled to secure someone else’s approval, you risk trading your inner standards for external rewards. In his view, integrity isn’t a repu...
Read full interpretation →