The Golden Sayings of Epictetus
by Epictetus
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- c. 108 CE, selected 1909
- Era
- Roman Empire
- Form
- Essay
- Language
- Greek
- Length
- Short · 100 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendThe Harvard Classics, Volume 2, translated by Hastings CrossleyP. F. Collier, 1909The selection as Eliot printed it, and the one the Harvard Classics list refers to.
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Not a work Epictetus composed but a Victorian anthology, Hastings Crossley's selection of the most quotable passages from the Discourses and the Handbook, printed in the Harvard Classics beside Marcus Aurelius and Plato. The arrangement is thematic rather than by book, so the same doctrine appears repeatedly in different words: what is in our power, the uselessness of complaint, the actor who did not choose his part, the value of an obstacle. It is a good first taste of Stoicism and a poor substitute for reading a book of the Discourses through.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns The Golden Sayings of Epictetus are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
