Short Works · Chapter
LXXI explained
A pre-emptive meditation on maintaining one's gentle nature, advising self-reminder before acting in anger to avoid future regret and wrongdoing.
What happens
A pre-emptive meditation on maintaining one's gentle nature, advising self-reminder before acting in anger to avoid future regret and wrongdoing.
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
- Practical Ethics and Self-Discipline
Provides a specific mental exercise (self-reminder of one's nature) to be applied in the heat of emotion to guide ethical action.
- Inner Freedom and Slavery
Warns against being enslaved by violent passion, framing a life 'without repentance and without blame' as the fruit of inner freedom.
Characters to notice
- Epictetus
The teacher delivering the direct, practical advice on self-control before action.
Key passages
“When you are attacking (or going to attack) any person violently and with threats, remember to say to yourself first, that you are (by nature) mild (gentle);”
Before you act out in anger or aggression, pause and consciously remind yourself that your fundamental character is gentle.
Highlights the Stoic practice of using a premeditated phrase to interrupt a passionate impulse.
“and if you do nothing savage, you will continue to live without repentance and without blame.”
By restraining yourself from brutal actions, you preserve a clear conscience and a life free from self-reproach or culpability.
States the practical and moral benefit of heeding the initial self-reminder.
