The Enchiridion, or Manual, is a short handbook of Stoic ethics compiled in the second century by Arrian from the teachings of the philosopher Epictetus. It teaches readers to distinguish between what is in their power and what is not, so as to live free and calm. It has been read and used for nearly two thousand years.
What is up to us
The Manual opens with a basic distinction: our judgements, desires and actions are up to us; our body, wealth and reputation are not.
The wise person cares only about what is in his control and accepts the rest with calm.
A pocket book
The Greek word enkheiridion means something held in the hand. The Manual has some fifty short chapters, easy to reread and remember.
It summarizes the longer Discourses, which Arrian also recorded from his teacher's lessons.
Its influence
The Manual was adapted by Christian monks in late antiquity and widely translated during the Renaissance.
The English translation by George Long, published in the nineteenth century, made it widely available to English readers.
Anecdotes
A former slave
Epictetus was born a slave in Phrygia. Once freed, he taught philosophy in Rome, then in Nicopolis in Greece, after the emperor Domitian expelled the philosophers from Rome.
Not a word written
Like Socrates, Epictetus wrote nothing himself. All we know of his thought comes from his pupil Arrian.
Frequently asked questions
Who compiled the Enchiridion?
Arrian, a pupil of Epictetus.
What does the word mean?
Something held in the hand, a handbook.
What is its main idea?
To distinguish what is in our power from what is not.