--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have assumed a character above…" description: "\"If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you mig..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg" --- # If you have assumed a character above your strength, you… ![“If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.” quote by Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg) > “If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.” [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming a role beyond your ability leads to poor performance and missed potential. **In simple terms:** Don’t overreach; stay within your limits. Key Takeaway Know your strengths and act accordingly. Themes self-awareness humility growth Mood thoughtful serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - career planning - skill training - leadership decisions Key Concepts Stoicism personal development Questions to Reflect On - What strengths can you develop to expand your capacity? - When is it wise to stretch beyond comfort? A Different Perspective Overcautiousness can limit ambition. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Character](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/character/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/) [Unbecoming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unbecoming/) ## Related quotes > [“If you have assumed any character beyond your strength, you have both demeaned yourself ill in that and quitted one which you might have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-have-assumed-any-character-beyond-your-strength-you-have-both/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“It was not fair, she felt, to treat people as if they were finished beings. Everyone was always becoming and unbecoming.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-winter/it-was-not-fair-she-felt-to-treat-people-as-if-they-were-finished/) [Kathleen Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-winter/) > [It is unbecoming for young men to utter maxims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/it-is-unbecoming-for-young-men-to-utter-maxims/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [Whining is just unbecoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/whining-is-just-unbecoming/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [Nothing is more unbecoming to a teacher of the Word than flippancy. He must be serious and should not act like a clown.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther/nothing-is-more-unbecoming-to-a-teacher-of-the-word-than-flippancy-he/) [Martin Luther](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther/) > [He is a good man, who can receive a gift well. We are either glad or sorry at a gift, and both emotions are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/he-is-a-good-man-who-can-receive-a-gift-well-we-are-either-glad-or/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Unbecoming forwardness oftener proceeds from ignorance than impudence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sir-fulke-greville/unbecoming-forwardness-oftener-proceeds-from-ignorance-than-impudence/) [Sir Fulke Greville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sir-fulke-greville/) > [Personal size and mental sorrow have certainly no necessary proportions. A large bulky figure has a good a right to be in deep affliction,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/personal-size-and-mental-sorrow-have-certainly-no-necessary/) [Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/) > [It's unbecoming," she agreed. "A perfect word for my new life. Unbecoming. I who have always been unbecoming am becoming un.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-maguire/it-s-unbecoming-she-agreed-a-perfect-word-for-my-new-life-unbecoming/) [Gregory Maguire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-maguire/) > [“Suspicion is an unbecoming passion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/suspicion-is-an-unbecoming-passion/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [However, I think anything is better than high intellectual pressure. That is the most unbecoming thing there is. It makes the noses of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/however-i-think-anything-is-better-than-high-intellectual-pressure/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [As an occupation in declining years, I declare I think saving is useful, amusing and not unbecoming. It must be a perpetual amusement. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/as-an-occupation-in-declining-years-i-declare-i-think-saving-is/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) > [There is nothing more unbecoming a man of quality than to laugh ... 'tis such a vulgar expression of the passion!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-congreve/there-is-nothing-more-unbecoming-a-man-of-quality-than-to-laugh-tis/) [William Congreve](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-congreve/) > [The path of awakening is not about becoming who you are. Rather it is about unbecoming who you are not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/the-path-of-awakening-is-not-about-becoming-who-you-are-rather-it-is/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [People are rivers, always ready to move from one state of being into another. It is not fair, to treat people as if they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-winter/people-are-rivers-always-ready-to-move-from-one-state-of-being-into/) [Kathleen Winter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-winter/) ## More by Epictetus > [“We are at the mercy of whoever wields authority over the things we either desire or detest. If you would be free, then, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-at-the-mercy-of-whoever-wields-authority-over-the-things-we/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Practice yourself, for heaven's sake in little things, and then proceed to greater.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/practice-yourself-for-heaven-s-sake-in-little-things-and-then-proceed/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Do not laugh much or often or unrestrainedly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/do-not-laugh-much-or-often-or-unrestrainedly/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [When men are unhappy, they do not imagine they can ever cease to be so; and when some calamity has fallen on them, they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/when-men-are-unhappy-they-do-not-imagine-they-can-ever-cease-to-be-so/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [We are not disturbed by what happens to us, but by our thoughts about what happens to us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/we-are-not-disturbed-by-what-happens-to-us-but-by-our-thoughts-about/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Don't be prideful with any excellence that is not your own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/don-t-be-prideful-with-any-excellence-that-is-not-your-own/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [You know yourself what you are worth in your own eyes; and at what price you will sell yourself. For men sell themselves at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/you-know-yourself-what-you-are-worth-in-your-own-eyes-and-at-what/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Crows pick out the eyes of the dead, when the dead have no longer need of them; but flatterers mar the soul of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/crows-pick-out-the-eyes-of-the-dead-when-the-dead-have-no-longer-need/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [As a man, casting off worn out garments taketh new ones, so the dweller in the body, entereth into ones that are new.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/as-a-man-casting-off-worn-out-garments-taketh-new-ones-so-the-dweller/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [If you would improve, submit to be considered wihout sense and foolish with respect to externals. Wish to be considered to know nothing; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-would-improve-submit-to-be-considered-wihout-sense-and-foolish/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“For it is not death or pain that is to be feared, but the fear of pain or death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/for-it-is-not-death-or-pain-that-is-to-be-feared-but-the-fear-of-pain/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [What else can I do, a lame old man, but sing hymns to God? If I were a nightingale, I would do the nightingale's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/what-else-can-i-do-a-lame-old-man-but-sing-hymns-to-god-if-i-were-a/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [People are disturbed not by things, but by the view they take of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/people-are-disturbed-not-by-things-but-by-the-view-they-take-of-them-2/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“Small-minded people blame others. Average people blame themselves. The wise see all blame as foolishness”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/small-minded-people-blame-others-average-people-blame-themselves-the/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [All philosophy lies in two words, sustain and abstain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/all-philosophy-lies-in-two-words-sustain-and-abstain/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) [Explore all 577 Epictetus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) ## More Assumed quotes > [“If I didn't say anything, people always assumed the worst.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fight-club/if-i-didn-t-say-anything-people-always-assumed-the-worst/) [Fight club](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fight-club/) > [We assumed the customers were smart and that they'll buy what they like, not what the ads tell them to buy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renzo-rosso/we-assumed-the-customers-were-smart-and-that-they-ll-buy-what-they/) [Renzo Rosso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renzo-rosso/) > [I always assumed that, like my mother before me, one day I would have children. When I was 5, my fantasy was to have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kim-cattrall/i-always-assumed-that-like-my-mother-before-me-one-day-i-would-have/) [Kim Cattrall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kim-cattrall/) > [When I don't have a girlfriend, who I am answerable to, I can go out and hang with people. But whether you go for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shahid-kapoor/when-i-don-t-have-a-girlfriend-who-i-am-answerable-to-i-can-go-out/) [Shahid Kapoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shahid-kapoor/) > [That which He has not assumed He has not healed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-of-nazianzus/that-which-he-has-not-assumed-he-has-not-healed/) [Gregory of Nazianzus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-of-nazianzus/) > [I first picked up a violin aged five - I just assumed everyone played.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andre-rieu/i-first-picked-up-a-violin-aged-five-i-just-assumed-everyone-played/) [Andre Rieu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andre-rieu/) > [“In Sweden, everyone is assumed to have similar resources, so it seems inappropriate to pay for someone else.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-johansson-robinowitz/in-sweden-everyone-is-assumed-to-have-similar-resources-so-it-seems/) [Christina Johansson Robinowitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-johansson-robinowitz/) > [I'd assumed that a deal was a deal when Princeton admitted me, but I was wrong. The price of getting in - to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-kirn/i-d-assumed-that-a-deal-was-a-deal-when-princeton-admitted-me-but-i/) [Walter Kirn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-kirn/) > [People have always assumed that I am privileged. And that has been a problem sometimes. When I first started modelling, and I was schlepping…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jasmine-guinness/people-have-always-assumed-that-i-am-privileged-and-that-has-been-a/) [Jasmine Guinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jasmine-guinness/) > [“Abashed, should assumed its place in the list of what could be accomplished, what couldn't.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-mnookin/abashed-should-assumed-its-place-in-the-list-of-what-could-be/) Wendy Mnookin > [“Jax turned to Jove. “She’s mine. Don’t assign her anywhere else.”“I already assumed as much, darling,” Jove replied.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexandria-clarke/jax-turned-to-jove-she-s-mine-don-t-assign-her-anywhere-else-i/) [Alexandria Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexandria-clarke/) > [Before I started Coffee of Grace, I assumed all coffee came from Latin America or Indonesia. I wasn't familiar with African coffee.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-hightower/before-i-started-coffee-of-grace-i-assumed-all-coffee-came-from-latin/) [Grace Hightower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-hightower/) > [Historians once assumed that when childhood mortality was high, people must not have loved their children very much; it would have been too painful.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-lepore/historians-once-assumed-that-when-childhood-mortality-was-high-people/) [Jill Lepore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-lepore/) > [You know when you read that someone has to leave a show or a tour because they had 'nervous exhaustion'? Well, I had one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-johansen/you-know-when-you-read-that-someone-has-to-leave-a-show-or-a-tour/) [David Johansen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-johansen/) > [There's been more than one time when I've said something, and sort of the middle of what I've said is not said but thought,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/there-s-been-more-than-one-time-when-i-ve-said-something-and-sort-of/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) Browse all 159 Assumed quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming way, and you have neglected that which you might have fulfilled.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Epictetus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-your-strength-you-have-both/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Assumed" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-your-strength-you-have-both/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9f0/epictetus-413_character_if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-yo_1957217.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you have assumed a character above your strength, you have both acted in this matter in an unbecoming…” — Epictetus", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Epictetus", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you have assumed a character...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-your-strength-you-have-both/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-have-assumed-a-character-above-your-strength-you-have-both/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```