Keep principles ready
Principle 52 from the Enchiridion
Keep one ready for the moments when clear thinking becomes difficult. A short principle practiced beforehand is easier to remember when pressure arrives.
Original Passage
Upon all occasions we ought to have these maxims ready at hand:
"Conduct me, Jove, and you, O Destiny, Wherever your decrees have fixed my station." Cleanthes
"I follow cheerfully; and, did I not, Wicked and wretched, I must follow still Whoever yields properly to Fate, is deemed Wise among men, and knows the laws of heaven." Euripides, Frag. 965
And this third:
"O Crito, if it thus pleases the gods, thus let it be. Anytus and Melitus may kill me indeed, but hurt me they cannot." Plato's Crito and Apology
Modern Interpretation
A common version of this is easy to recognize. Epictetus ends the Enchiridion with a few short lines to keep in mind when life becomes difficult. Under pressure, we rarely invent a wise answer on the spot. We usually fall back on whatever we have practiced.
The lines train acceptance and steadiness. Circumstances may be directed by fate, but our integrity is not lost without our participation.
The reason to remember them is not to sound learned. It is to have a thought ready when fear or anger makes clear thinking harder.
In Practice
A common version of this is easy to recognize. Before a difficult conversation, you repeat a line to yourself: "I cannot control the outcome, only my conduct." When the tension rises, it reminds you not to become defensive.
You listen, speak clearly, and remain respectful even when challenged. The conversation is still difficult, but the remembered line helps your actions match your intention.
Reflection Question
What short line would you want to remember when your thoughts start to spiral? When could you begin practicing it?