Short Works · Chapter
CXXXV explained
The chapter distinguishes between the ignorant person, who is dissatisfied with present circumstances and fortune's gifts, and the good person, who bears these things nobly and rationally.
What happens
The chapter distinguishes between the ignorant person, who is dissatisfied with present circumstances and fortune's gifts, and the good person, who bears these things nobly and rationally.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This moment is the emotional and philosophical peak where Epictetus forces the reader into a crisis of choice,…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Acceptance of Nature and Fate
The core distinction is between rejecting one's given circumstances (ignorance) and accepting them with noble rationality (goodness).
- Practical Ethics and Self-Discipline
Defines the 'good man' by the practical, disciplined action of bearing fortune's allotments well.
Key passages
“He who is dissatisfied with things present and what is given by fortune is an ignorant man ( ἰδιώτης ) in life”
To be unhappy with your current situation and what chance has provided is the mark of an unphilosophical, common man.
Highlights the Stoic view that discontent with externals signifies a lack of wisdom.
“but he who bears them nobly and rationally and the things which proceed from them is worthy of being considered a good man.”
But the person who endures these circumstances with dignity and reason, including their consequences, deserves to be called a good person.
Establishes that ethical goodness is found in one's rational and noble response to events, not in the events themselves.
