17 Apr Who is free from restraint? He who desires nothing that belongs to others. (EPICTETUS)
The man who is not under restraint is free, to whom things are exactly in that state in which he wishes them to be; but he who can be restrained or compelled or hindered, or thrown into any circumstances against his will, is a slave. But who is free from restraint? He who desires nothing that belongs to others. And what are the things which belong to others? Those which are not in our power either to have or not to have, or to have of a certain kind or in a certain manner. Therefore the body belongs to another, the parts of the body belong to another, possession belongs to another. If, then, you are attached to any of these things as your own, you will pay the penalty which it is proper for him to pay who desires what belongs to another. This road leads to freedom, that is the only way of escaping from slavery, to be able to say at last with all your soul.Lead me, O Zeus, and thou O destiny, The way that I am bid by you to go.
The Discourses
Epictetus
Image:https://bitpress.ru/2015/04/22/dobro-pozhalovat-v-liberlandiyu-stranu-s-natsionalnoj-valyutoj-bitkoin/