Principle 45 · from the Enchiridion
Judge only what you know
What you observed and what you inferred may differ. Look for context before deciding what an action says about someone’s motives.
Source passage (English)
The passage is shown in English. The explanation and example below are modern interpretations for this site.
Does anyone bathe in a mighty little time? Don't say that he does it ill, but in a mighty little time. Does anyone drink a great quantity of wine? Don't say that he does ill, but that he drinks a great quantity. For, unless you perfectly understand the principle from which anyone acts, how should you know if he acts ill? Thus you will not run the hazard of assenting to any appearances but such as you fully comprehend.
What this means
Epictetus asks us to be careful about how we reach a judgment. It is easy to move from seeing an action to deciding what kind of person did it, even when we know very little about the context.
Wrongdoing still exists. The point is simply to separate, "This is what I saw," from, "This is what I think it means." That small distance can make a judgment fairer.
When context is missing, you can leave the conclusion open while checking what matters. Ask a relevant question, compare what was said with what happened, or state that you do not yet know. You can still respond to a clear harmful action without claiming certainty about a motive you cannot observe.
An everyday example
A teammate leaves a meeting early. You instantly think, "They are disrespectful." Later you learn they had an urgent family call.
If you stay with the fact first, there is room to learn the context before deciding what the action says about the person.
Reflection Question
When did you last decide someone's motive before you knew the context?