The Art of Living, Epictetus is a new interpretation by Sharon Lebell, a philosophical writer. Epictetus (A.D. 55 – 135) was born a slave in the Roman Empire, but displayed so much intellectual talent, that his master sent him to Rome to study. Banished in A.D. 94, he spent the rest of his life in exile in Greece, where he taught philosophy and delivered lectures.
Epictetus left no writings, but his lectures were transcribed by a devoted pupil, into a collection of eight books, the Discourses. Selected excerpts later gave form to Epictetus’s Manual, from where Lebell has gleaned more jewels for us.
It is our feelings about things that torment us rather than the things themselves.
Never depend on the admiration of others. Personal merit cannot be derived from an external source.
Every difficulty in life presents us with an opportunity to turn inward and to invoke our own submerged inner resources. The trials we endure can and should introduce us to our strengths.
Epictetus, The Art of Living
by Sharon Lebell
HarperCollins Publishers
Price Rs.150