"Enchiridion" - читать интересную книгу автора (Epictetus)

and, if it concerns anything not in our control, be prepared
to say that it is nothing to you.

2. Remember that following desire promises the attainment of
that of which you are desirous; and aversion promises the
avoiding that to which you are averse. However, he who fails
to obtain the object of his desire is disappointed, and he who
incurs the object of his aversion wretched. If, then, you
confine your aversion to those objects only which are contrary
to the natural use of your faculties, which you have in your
own control, you will never incur anything to which you are
averse. But if you are averse to sickness, or death, or
poverty, you will be wretched. Remove aversion, then, from all
things that are not in our control, and transfer it to things
contrary to the nature of what is in our control. But, for the
present, totally suppress desire: for, if you desire any of
the things which are not in your own control, you must
necessarily be disappointed; and of those which are, and which
it would be laudable to desire, nothing is yet in your
possession. Use only the appropriate actions of pursuit and
avoidance; and even these lightly, and with gentleness and
reservation.

3. With regard to whatever objects give you delight, are
useful, or are deeply loved, remember to tell yourself of what
general nature they are, beginning from the most insignificant
things. If, for example, you are fond of a specific ceramic
cup, remind yourself that it is only ceramic cups in general
of which you are fond. Then, if it breaks, you will not be
disturbed. If you kiss your child, or your wife, say that you
only kiss things which are human, and thus you will not be
disturbed if either of them dies.

4. When you are going about any action, remind yourself what
nature the action is. If you are going to bathe, picture to
yourself the things which usually happen in the bath: some
people splash the water, some push, some use abusive language,
and others steal. Thus you will more safely go about this
action if you say to yourself, "I will now go bathe, and keep
my own mind in a state conformable to nature." And in the same
manner with regard to every other action. For thus, if any
hindrance arises in bathing, you will have it ready to say,
"It was not only to bathe that I desired, but to keep my mind
in a state conformable to nature; and I will not keep it if I
am bothered at things that happen.

5. Men are disturbed, not by things, but by the principles and
notions which they form concerning things. Death, for
instance, is not terrible, else it would have appeared so to
Socrates. But the terror consists in our notion of death that