When you see a man shedding tears in sorrow for a child abroad or dead, or for loss of property, beware that you are not carried away by the impression that it is outward ills that make him miserable. Keep this thought by you:' What distresses him is not the event, for that does not distress another, but his judgements on the event.' Therefore do not hesitate to sympathize with him so far as words go, and if it so chance, even to groan with him; but take heed that you do not also groan in your inner being.
當你看見一人蹲在角落裏悄悄爲了自己遠離或死去的孩子或者因爲窮苦抹眼淚的時候，記住你對這件事情的評價不應該是外部的傷痛使這個人難過。告訴你自己：“讓他難過的不是這件事情本身，而是他自己對這件事情的評價。”所以，不要吝嗇你的同情心去在言語上勸說他，或者同他一同悲傷。但是要注意的是你不要在自己的內在同他一同憂傷。
Remember that you are an actor in a play, and the playwright chooses the manner of it: if he wants it short, it is short; if long, it is long. If he wants you to act a poor man you must act the part with all your power; and so if your part be a cripple or a magistrate or a plain man. For your business is to act the character that is given you and act it well; the choice of the cast is Another's.
記住你只是一個戲中的演員，寫劇本的人決定你是什麼樣的。他想讓這個戲長就長，短就短。他想讓你演窮人，那你也要盡全力去演好。如果他讓你殘廢或者讓你當官或者讓你當普通人，你也要盡力演好。你的職責是演好你的角色，而角色的選擇在別人的控制範圍之內。
when a raven croaks with evil omen, let not the impression carry you away, but straightway distinguish in your own mind and say, 'These portents mean nothing to me; but only to my bit of a body or my bit of property or name, or my children or my wife. But for me all omens are favourable if I will, for , whatever the issue may be, it is in my power to get benefit therefrom.'
當一個大烏鴉叫聲有壞的預示的時候，不要讓你對它的印象把你帶入歧途，而是應該立刻對自己說：“這個預兆對我一點意義都沒有，它只能影響到我的一點身體，財富，名譽，或者老婆孩子。但是對於我本身來說，如果我想，所有的預兆都是對我好的，因爲不管我失去了什麼，我還是可以自己覺得從中獲得益處。”
You can be invincible, if you never enter on a contest where victory is not in your power. Beware then that when you see a man raised to honour or great power or high repute you do not let your impression carry you away. For if the reality of good lies in what is in our power, there is no room for envy or jealousy. And you will not wish to be praetor, or prefect or consul, but to be free; and there is but one way to freedom--to despise what is not in our power.
如果你永遠不去進行你覺得你的能力不能保證成功的比賽(不打無準備之仗)，那你就是不可戰勝的。所以當你看到有人得到榮譽，升官發財了，不要讓你自己對事物的評價將你引入歧途。因爲所有好的東西東應該是你能控制的，（你控制不了的東西你根本不在乎）所以你沒有理由嫉妒和羨慕。如果你不想當官，但是想自由，那就要知道，只有一種方法可以讓你自由，那就是不要管那些你控制不了的東西。
Remeber that foul words or blows in themselve are no outrage, but your judgement that they are so. So when anyone makes you angry, know that it is your own thought that has angered you. Wherefore make it your first endeavour not to let your impressions carry you away. For if once you gain time and delay, you will find it easier to control yourself.
記住，蠢話和大話本身不過分，是你評價爲他們過分。所以當某些人使你生氣的時候，要知道是你自己的想法使你生氣，而不是人家。所以在氣頭上的時候不要讓你自己的評價和對事物的印象引你入歧途。給點時間讓自己冷靜下來，你會發現更容易控制你自己。
我們登上並非我們所選擇的舞臺，選擇並非我們所選擇的劇本。
——愛比克泰德
我們能做的只有努力去演好自己的劇本，在希望中歡呼，在苦難中堅持。
人不能只是活着，而是應該努力讓自己的人生髮光發亮。