Principle 07 · from the Enchiridion
Remember life is brief
Time with the people who matter is not guaranteed. Make room for them instead of always waiting for a less busy day.
Source passage (English)
The passage is shown in English. The explanation and example below are modern interpretations for this site.
Consider when, on a voyage, your ship is anchored; if you go on shore to get water you may along the way amuse yourself with picking up a shellfish, or an onion. However, your thoughts and continual attention ought to be bent towards the ship, waiting for the captain to call on board; you must then immediately leave all these things, otherwise you will be thrown into the ship, bound neck and feet like a sheep. So it is with life. If, instead of an onion or a shellfish, you are given a wife or child, that is fine. But if the captain calls, you must run to the ship, leaving them, and regarding none of them. But if you are old, never go far from the ship: lest, when you are called, you should be unable to come in time.
What this means
Epictetus compares life to a brief stop during a sea journey. You can enjoy what you find on shore, but you are still a traveler. The captain, standing for fate, time, and death, may call you back at any moment.
He is not asking us to pull away from family or everyday joys. The reminder is to recognize that time is limited and make room for what matters. What matters should not always receive whatever time happens to be left after everything else.
A practical reading of the voyage image is to examine what keeps getting deferred. An obligation may need attention today even when something more entertaining is available. This does not require treating every moment as urgent. It asks you to notice when a temporary distraction repeatedly takes the place of a lasting commitment.
An everyday example
You keep putting off an important family conversation because work always feels more urgent. One week passes, then another.
You still do your work, but you set aside real time for the conversation. Remembering that time is not guaranteed helps you stop treating important people as something you will get around to later.
Reflection Question
If you had less time to keep postponing things than you assume, what would you put first now?