Here are some of his most important ideas, which have stood the test of 1,900 years astonishingly well.(Control)
Happiness and freedom begin with a clear understanding of one principle: some things are within our control, and some things are not. It is only after you have accepted this fundamental rule, and learned to distinguish between what you can and cannot control, that inner tranquillity and outer effectiveness become possible.
(Where trouble really comes from)
Things themselves don’t hurt or hinder us. Neither do other people. How we view things and people is a different matter. Strange as it may seem at first, it is our own attitudes and reactions that give us the most trouble. We cannot always choose our external circumstances, but we can choose how we respond to them. For, after the event, the only thing in one's power is one's attitude toward it, that is, acceptance or rejection. Epictetus emphasized that what really frightens and dismays people is not external events themselves, but rather the way we think about them. How we think about something after the fact, for instance the loss of a loved one, is in our power, but changing the fact is not.
(Legislating for the world)
Circumstances do not arise to meet our desires or expectations. Events happen as they do. People behave according to their own inclinations and what they are faced with — which we may not even be aware of. Don’t try to make your own rules that the world is supposed to follow. That is a recipe for frustration. Exercise what influence you can, then accept what you actually get and make the most of it.
(Nothing to lose)
Nothing can truly be taken from us. There is nothing to lose. Everything, including one's own life, is on loan from the world. Inner peace begins when we stop saying of things, "I have lost it," and instead say, "It has been returned to where it came from." The important thing is to take great care of what you have while the world lets you have it, just as a traveler takes care of a room at an inn.
