"It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters."
— Epictetus
Its Not What Happens To You
It's not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.
About this quote
From Section 5 of the Enchiridion (Handbook), a condensed manual of Epictetus's teachings compiled by his student Arrian around 135 AD. Epictetus, born into slavery in Hierapolis (modern Turkey), developed his philosophy from direct experience of powerlessness. This distinction between events and reactions became the foundational principle of Stoic psychology, later central to Marcus Aurelius's Meditations and, two millennia later, to cognitive behavioral therapy.
Source
Enchiridion (Handbook), Section 5
