Discourses and Selected Writings

Epictetus (c.a. CE 5 - CE 135) was born a slave in present day Turkey in the Roman Empire. However, his master allowed him to study Stoic Philosophy, and he became one of the most respected philosophers of his time, being widely read and quoted by subsequent Stoics. He was a powerful speaker who could induce any emotion he wanted in his listener, and many eminent figures, including the Emperor Hadrian, sought his conversation. Despite lameness and persistent ill health, but perhaps due to his simple lifestyle and philosophy, he lived to an age of about 80 which was remarkable at the time.