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'About things that are within our power and those that are not.' Epictetus's Discourses have been the most widely read and influential of all writings of Stoic philosophy, from antiquity onwards. They set out the core ethical principles of Stoicism in a form designed to help people put them into practice and to use them as a basis for leading a good human life. Epictetus was a teacher, and a freed slave, whose discourses have a vivid informality, animated by anecdotes and dialogue. Forceful, direct, and challenging, their central message is that the basis of happiness is up to us, and that we all have the capacity, through sustained reflection and hard work, of achieving this goal. They still speak eloquently to modern readers seeking meaning in their own lives. This is the only complete modern translation of the Discourses, together with the Handbook or manual of key themes, and surviving fragments. Robin Hard's accurate and accessible translation is accompanied by Christopher Gill's full introduction and comprehensive notes. ABOUT THE SERIES: For over 100 years Oxford World's Classics has made available the widest range of literature from around the globe. Each affordable volume reflects Oxford's commitment to scholarship, providing the most accurate text plus a wealth of other valuable features, including expert introductions by leading authorities, helpful notes to clarify the text, up-to-date bibliographies for further study, and much more. Review: ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE - ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE !!!!!!!! Review: Best Translation of the Discourses - This is such a book that has the potential to change your life completely, for better of course. To have a complete understanding of the discourses, you definitely require its more than one readings. Firstly, I thoroughly read the Penguin edition and then decided to go for a different translation for the second reading. I found this translation far better than the other one. It also has more clarity, better introduction and explanatory notes. This translation is complete whereas Penguin edition leaves certain 'repetitive' parts. That is not to imply that Penguin edition is not good, but Oxford one is certainly better.


| Best Sellers Rank | #30,516 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #395 in Poetry (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 679 Reviews |
S**C
ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE
ABSOLUTE MASTERPIECE !!!!!!!!
V**S
Best Translation of the Discourses
This is such a book that has the potential to change your life completely, for better of course. To have a complete understanding of the discourses, you definitely require its more than one readings. Firstly, I thoroughly read the Penguin edition and then decided to go for a different translation for the second reading. I found this translation far better than the other one. It also has more clarity, better introduction and explanatory notes. This translation is complete whereas Penguin edition leaves certain 'repetitive' parts. That is not to imply that Penguin edition is not good, but Oxford one is certainly better.
S**A
Truely amazing book, and, to me, seems like original print.
Truely enlightening, but, as said in the book, it's not enough just to read the philosophy, it's important to apply it our lives everyday. To become better human beings. Once we apply stoic philosophy to our lives, we become immune, absolutely IMMUNE, to external "harm".
S**A
Congratulations—you’re going to become a new person.
If you’re looking at this image, then congratulations—you’re going to become a new person after reading this masterpiece of a book. I just want to tell you: don’t waste your time—start reading Discourses by Epictetus. ✨
N**Y
LEGENDARY TEACHER'S HANDBOOK
Just AMAZING! , I flipped open a random page and started reading, and was inspired to another level, awesome book quality and condition 🙏
G**.
GOOD TRANSLATION, BAD PRINT QUALITY.
I bought this book as I heard Robin Hard's translation of Epictetus' discourse is better than other translations. Good translation but the quality of print is bad. Expected a better quality of paper, binding and legible typesetting. Disappointed!
P**E
Algumas coisas estão sob seu controle e outras coisas não estão sob seu controle.
“Eu tenho que morrer. Se é agora, bem, então eu morro agora; se mais tarde, então vou almoçar, já que chegou a hora do almoço – e morrendo, morrerei mais tarde.” O leitor não tem como deixar de rir com o aforismo acima, já que a morte segura é inevitável. Está chegando agora? Se é agora, estou pronto, vamos, vamos fazer isso, porque todo mundo tem que morrer. Mas se não é agora, então vou fazer outras coisas e, claro, quando a morte chegar, não está sob seu controle, então você simplesmente aceita, sempre que acontecer. O aforismo revela dois traços importante da personalidade de Epicteto: senso de humor e pragmatismo. De um modo geral, os Discursos são sobre como viver sua vida: eles apresentam os princípios básicos do estoicismo uma e outra vez, de diferentes ângulos, explorando as consequências em diferentes contextos. Provavelmente o mais básico que Epicteto insiste várias vezes é a sua famosa dicotomia de controle: ele diz que algumas coisas estão sob seu controle e outras coisas não estão sob seu controle. Então ele lista os tipos de coisas que estão sob seu controle e aquelas que não estão. Coisas que estão sob seu controle: seu comportamento, suas decisões, seus processos de pensamento racional. Coisas que não estão sob seu controle são todas as externalidades: sua saúde, sua riqueza, sua educação, sua estatura na vida, sua reputação. Não é que você não possa influenciar as coisas que não estão sob seu controle; é claro que você pode. Ele diz isso explicitamente. Mas elas não estão inteiramente sob seu controle. Você só pode tentar ser saudável, rico e educado, e ter uma boa vida no sentido da externalidade, mas, como você sabe, a ‘desgraça’ acontece...O estoicismo de Epicteto é sobre como lidar com uma situação em que a ‘desgraça’ realmente acontece. O que fazes, então? Como você reage na vida quando as coisas não seguem o seu caminho? Enfim, a dicotomia de controle é crucial no estoicismo, particularmente aqui na filosofia de Epicteto. Encerro a resenha com outra máxima de Epicteto: Um de seus alunos, diz-lhe: "Escutei alguém falando tão mal de você hoje". E a resposta de Epicteto é: "Bem, é porque ele não me conhece muito bem; caso fosse o contrário, ele estaria falando muito, muito pior de mim... Boa leitura!
T**E
take a break from social change by being the change and dropping out
You don't like war, you don't like violence, you're exhausted from struggling against political power and obnoxious people. How do you convince yourself to take a step back, without abandoning your principles? This is a good book to help with that. BONUS: You don't need to read it cover-to-cover, but can flip open anywhere and start reading. The author wanted discipline but was also obviously a realist about how much time attention span we can spare for him.
E**S
Excelente
Epicteto, el esclavo liberado, máximo estoico en práctica. Buena edición de Oxford que contiene la obra completa del filósofo, además de fragmentos recopilados de otros autores donde hacen mención de sus humildes enseñanzas.
P**A
This book is the best All English Translation of Epictetus
How many ways can I sing praises for this translation of the Discourses? 1. It is a great size to tote around anywhere much better than the knock off public domain translations and even though it is bigger than the Everymans translation it is softcover and all in one book instead of two. 2. It uses modern English and there are great notes to back it up. Gill and Hard used the ideas of AA Long and really help you get so much more out of the Discourses. Plus all other writings are there too fragments and the Handbook too!!!!! There are no errors and typos like many of the other books and it is just plain fun to read. The 2 number one books are Oldfather's and this one by Hard in my opinion.
S**E
Poor print quality
Quite poor print quality (text is not at all sharp and has shadowing). I suggest considering a different edition.
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