--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Loving your fate and joyful acceptance…" description: "\"“Loving your fate and joyful acceptance Epictetus actually describes a three-stage process to his students, which relates to the discipline of desire. ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/donald-j-robertson-32244_day-and-night_loving-your-fate-and-joyful-acceptance-e_209437.jpg" --- # Loving your fate and joyful acceptance Epictetus actually… ![“Loving your fate and joyful acceptance Epictetus actually describes a three-stage process to his students, which relates to the discipline of desire. He begins by emphasizing the need for Stoics to train themselves rigorously to adhere to their principles, having certain phrases constantly…” quote by Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/donald-j-robertson-32244_day-and-night_loving-your-fate-and-joyful-acceptance-e_209437.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/donald-j-robertson-32244_day-and-night_loving-your-fate-and-joyful-acceptance-e_209437.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/767/donald-j-robertson-32244_day-and-night_loving-your-fate-and-joyful-acceptance-e_209437.jpg) > ““Loving your fate and joyful acceptance Epictetus actually describes a three-stage process to his students, which relates to the discipline of desire. He begins by emphasizing the need for Stoics to train themselves rigorously to adhere to their principles, having certain phrases constantly ready-to-hand day and night. These should be written down, read over, analysed and discussed, until they have been memorized and understood. We should then rehearse all the possible catastrophes that can befall us in life, things the majority of people fear, and prepare for them in advance. Then, if one of those things happens which are called ‘undesirable’, immediately the thought that it was not unexpected will be the first thing to lighten the burden. For in every case it is a great help to be able to say, ‘I knew the son whom I had begotten was mortal.’ \[A famous saying, attributed to various wise men.\] For that is what you will say, and likewise, ‘I knew that I was mortal’, ‘I knew that I was vulnerable to exile’, ‘I knew that I might be sent off to prison.’ (Discourses, 3.24)”” [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Stoics train rigorously, rehearse catastrophes, and accept fate to reduce suffering and maintain virtue. **In simple terms:** Train, rehearse, accept fate to lessen suffering. Key Takeaway Practice mental rehearsal of adversity. Themes stoicism self‑discipline acceptance Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - daily meditation - preparing for loss - handling unexpected events - building emotional resilience Key Concepts desire discipline premeditatio malorum philosophical resilience Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate this practice without becoming fatalistic? - What unexpected event challenges your acceptance? A Different Perspective May overlook the unpredictability of emotions beyond rational preparation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Day and night](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/day-and-night/) [Discipline](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/discipline/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epictetus/) [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Stoicism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stoicism/) ## Related quotes > [Only the educated are free. --Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-the-educated-are-free-epictetus/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The willing are led by fate, the reluctant are dragged.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cleanthes-of-assos/the-willing-are-led-by-fate-the-reluctant-are-dragged/) Cleanthes of Assos > [It is not so much what happens to you as how you think about what happens." Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-not-so-much-what-happens-to-you-as-how-you-think-about-what-2/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“Circumstances don't make the man, they only reveal him to himself."   - Epictetus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-crosby/circumstances-don-t-make-the-man-they-only-reveal-him-to-himself-2/) [Dennis Crosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-crosby/) > [“Why should we place Christ at the top and summit of the human race? Was he kinder, more forgiving, more self-sacrificing than Buddha ?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-g-ingersoll/why-should-we-place-christ-at-the-top-and-summit-of-the-human-race/) [Robert G. 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If you're missing any one of those three, you can… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/as-a-writer-you-have-to-have-the-three-d-s-drive-discipline-and/) [Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/) > [“The Stoics, by contrast, believed that we are essentially social creatures, with a ‘natural affection’ and ‘affinity’ for all people. This forms the basis…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/the-stoics-by-contrast-believed-that-we-are-essentially-social/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“According to the Stoics therefore a man is free if his desires are not thwarted. However, if we only desire what is within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/according-to-the-stoics-therefore-a-man-is-free-if-his-desires-are/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) ## More by Donald J. Robertson > [“Throughout the day, practise bringing your attention back to the present moment, rather than allowing it to wander off into daydreams, rumination about the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/throughout-the-day-practise-bringing-your-attention-back-to-the/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“According to the Stoics therefore a man is free if his desires are not thwarted. However, if we only desire what is within our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/according-to-the-stoics-therefore-a-man-is-free-if-his-desires-are/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“It was a famous Stoic ‘paradox’ that the Sage is believed to be absolutely free, even when imprisoned or exiled by a powerful tyrant.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/it-was-a-famous-stoic-paradox-that-the-sage-is-believed-to-be/) [Donald J. 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Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“Epictetus actually says all the enmity between people is down to a single judgement of this kind, they ‘put themselves and what belongs to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/epictetus-actually-says-all-the-enmity-between-people-is-down-to-a/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“Wild beasts run away from dangers when they see them. Once they have escaped, they are free of anxiety. But we are tormented by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/wild-beasts-run-away-from-dangers-when-they-see-them-once-they-have/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“Goodness in other people naturally arouses our affection and friendship, not because it’s of some material advantage to us, but because it’s the mirror…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/goodness-in-other-people-naturally-arouses-our-affection-and/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“Even if we’ve never met them in person but only heard about them in stories, we are drawn to the wise and good, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/even-if-we-ve-never-met-them-in-person-but-only-heard-about-them-in/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“the famous Hymn to Zeus written by Cleanthes said: ‘The willing are led by fate, the reluctant dragged’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/the-famous-hymn-to-zeus-written-by-cleanthes-said-the-willing-are-led/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“The majority of people pursue friendship for mutual advantage, in terms of ‘indifferent’ things such as wealth or reputation but this is not the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/the-majority-of-people-pursue-friendship-for-mutual-advantage-in/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) > [“Whether we realize it or not, we are all living out the lives fated for us, either willingly or reluctantly. Zeno illustrated this with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/whether-we-realize-it-or-not-we-are-all-living-out-the-lives-fated/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) [Explore all 15 Donald J. Robertson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) ## More Day and night quotes > [“helping me. It’s a full-time job, and I am grateful for your concern for my reader friends. Of course, thanks to my daughter and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingsbury/helping-me-it-s-a-full-time-job-and-i-am-grateful-for-your-concern/) [Karen Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingsbury/) > [Whose school-hours are all the days and nights of our existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/whose-school-hours-are-all-the-days-and-nights-of-our-existence/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [“In the parking lot, she drove and parked in a dark area with no other cars around. She reclined her seat, and listened to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tao-lin/in-the-parking-lot-she-drove-and-parked-in-a-dark-area-with-no-other/) [Tao Lin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tao-lin/) > [I will work day and night to avoid failure, but if I can't, I'll pick myself up the next day. 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