--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is unlikely that the good of a snail…" description: "\"It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?\" — Epictetus" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg" --- # It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in… ![“It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?” quote by Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg) > “It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?” [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. Human virtue resides within, not in external possessions; true goodness is internal. **In simple terms:** Goodness is inside, not in external things. Key Takeaway Cultivate inner virtue. Themes philosophy ethics self‑knowledge Mood thoughtful serene Type philosophical ethical When to use this quote - personal development - leadership - adversity - materialism Key Concepts Stoicism inner vs outer self Questions to Reflect On - What internal qualities define your goodness? - How do you separate self‑worth from external status? A Different Perspective External success can distract from inner growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Good man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) [Good Snail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-snail-4763214/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Shell Likely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shell-likely-4763216/) [Shells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/shells/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Snail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snail/) [Snail Reside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/snail-reside-4763215/) [Unlikely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unlikely/) ## Related quotes > [We humans think we are smart, but an orchid, for example, knows how to produce noble, symmetrical flowers, and a snail knows how to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nhat-hanh/we-humans-think-we-are-smart-but-an-orchid-for-example-knows-how-to/) [Nhat Hanh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nhat-hanh/) > [In the circle of light on the state in the midst of darkness, you have the sensation of being entirely alone... This is called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/constantin-stanislavski/in-the-circle-of-light-on-the-state-in-the-midst-of-darkness-you-have/) [Constantin Stanislavski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/constantin-stanislavski/) > [There are no small number of people in this world who, solitary by nature, always try to go back into their shell like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anton-chekhov/there-are-no-small-number-of-people-in-this-world-who-solitary-by/) [Anton Chekhov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anton-chekhov/) > [My body, now close to fifty years of age, has become an old tree that bears bitter peaches, a snail which has lost its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matsuo-basho/my-body-now-close-to-fifty-years-of-age-has-become-an-old-tree-that/) [Matsuo Basho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matsuo-basho/) > [Today I accidentally stepped on a snail on the sidewalk in front of our house. And I thought, I too am like that snail.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-handey/today-i-accidentally-stepped-on-a-snail-on-the-sidewalk-in-front-of/) [Jack Handey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-handey/) > [Life is what our character makes it. We fashion it, as a snail does its shell. A man can say: I never made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jules-renard/life-is-what-our-character-makes-it-we-fashion-it-as-a-snail-does-its/) [Jules Renard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jules-renard/) > [The tourist travels in his own atmosphere like a snail in his shell and stands, as it were, on his own perambulating doorstep to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/freya-stark/the-tourist-travels-in-his-own-atmosphere-like-a-snail-in-his-shell/) [Freya Stark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/freya-stark/) > [In our culture, snails are not considered valiant animals - we are constantly exhorting people to "come out of their shells" - but there's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-cain/in-our-culture-snails-are-not-considered-valiant-animals-we-are/) [Susan Cain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-cain/) > [Lovers are not snails; they don't have to protrude from their shells and meet each other halfway. Meet me within your own self.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerzy-kosi-ski/lovers-are-not-snails-they-don-t-have-to-protrude-from-their-shells/) [Jerzy Kosinski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerzy-kosi-ski/) > [I remember I was a child, and when I grew up I was a poet. It all happened at sixty miles an hour and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-ruefle/i-remember-i-was-a-child-and-when-i-grew-up-i-was-a-poet-it-all/) [Mary Ruefle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-ruefle/) > [It seems to me the worst of all the plagues is the slug, the snail without a shell. He is beyond description repulsive, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/celia-thaxter/it-seems-to-me-the-worst-of-all-the-plagues-is-the-slug-the-snail/) [Celia Thaxter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/celia-thaxter/) > [People often say that I have a child's eye. For example, I stare at ants gathering around sugar, or when I seek shelter from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rinko-kawauchi/people-often-say-that-i-have-a-child-s-eye-for-example-i-stare-at/) [Rinko Kawauchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rinko-kawauchi/) > [I watched a snail crawl along the edge of a straight razor. That's my dream. That's my nightmare. Crawling, slithering, along the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marlon-brando/i-watched-a-snail-crawl-along-the-edge-of-a-straight-razor-that-s-my/) [Marlon Brando](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marlon-brando/) > [I would like my pictures to look as if a human being had passed between them, like a snail, leaving a trail of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/i-would-like-my-pictures-to-look-as-if-a-human-being-had-passed/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Of course, when we got home, we found that Dagda had peed on my down comforter. He had also eaten part of Mom's maidenhair…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cate-tiernan/of-course-when-we-got-home-we-found-that-dagda-had-peed-on-my-down/) [Cate Tiernan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cate-tiernan/) ## 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 Good man quotes > [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/) [Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/) > [Good manners are not bred in moments, but in years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-mcnair-wright/good-manners-are-not-bred-in-moments-but-in-years/) [Julia McNair Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-mcnair-wright/) > [Troy was a sweet, good man. We just were never destined to be married. We just didn't have the same values. But I'm not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-pleshette/troy-was-a-sweet-good-man-we-just-were-never-destined-to-be-married/) [Suzanne Pleshette](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-pleshette/) > [The life of a good man was a continual warfare with his passions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-richardson/the-life-of-a-good-man-was-a-continual-warfare-with-his-passions/) [Samuel Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-richardson/) > [ I don't see \[ Trainspotting \] as an albatross, I see it more as a calling card. It's got me out to Hollywood, I've… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irvine-welsh/i-don-t-see-trainspotting-as-an-albatross-i-see-it-more-as-a-calling/) [Irvine Welsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irvine-welsh/) > [“I put no stock in religion. By the word religion I have seen the lunacy of fanatics of every denomination be called the will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-monahan/i-put-no-stock-in-religion-by-the-word-religion-i-have-seen-the/) [William Monahan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-monahan/) > [To follow good manners willingly is like paving the road and to tell somebody to follow them is like the road which is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vikrant-parsai/to-follow-good-manners-willingly-is-like-paving-the-road-and-to-tell/) [Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/) > [“It is said that the hallmark of a gentleman is that he is only ever rude intentionally. Arthur Bryant was no gentleman. His rudeness…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-fowler/it-is-said-that-the-hallmark-of-a-gentleman-is-that-he-is-only-ever/) [Christopher Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-fowler/) > [I'm a good man with a good heart had a tough time, got a rough start But I finally learned to let it go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mayer/i-m-a-good-man-with-a-good-heart-had-a-tough-time-got-a-rough-start/) [John Mayer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mayer/) > [ I've often thought about that and the only suitable member to join me on that climb \[to Everest\] was George Lowe: he was strong,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/i-ve-often-thought-about-that-and-the-only-suitable-member-to-join-me/) [Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/) > [Of course, when you play football yourself you can think you want to become a manager but it does not make you a good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jaap-stam/of-course-when-you-play-football-yourself-you-can-think-you-want-to/) [Jaap Stam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jaap-stam/) > [“Falsehood of a good man is better than truth of a bad one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/falsehood-of-a-good-man-is-better-than-truth-of-a-bad-one/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [“Atticus adjusted his glasses as he peered down at the blanket. “Hey, is that the book Nellie told us about?” Jake’s eyes flicked to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jude-watson/atticus-adjusted-his-glasses-as-he-peered-down-at-the-blanket-hey-is/) [Jude Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jude-watson/) > [A good man therefore is a standing lesson to us all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-good-man-therefore-is-a-standing-lesson-to-us-all/) [Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/) > [“Grits Glossary blues \\’blüz\\ n: nothing but a good man singing about hardship, sorrow, and the things he’s done wrong--but sake’s alive, they make…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-ford/grits-glossary-blues-bl-z-n-nothing-but-a-good-man-singing-about/) [Deborah Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-ford/) [Browse all 2,081 Good man quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-man/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man should?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Epictetus" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail-should-reside-in-its-shell-so/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Good man" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail-should-reside-in-its-shell-so/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a8c/epictetus-413_men_it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail_2189420.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is unlikely that the good of a snail should reside in its shell: so is it likely that the good of a man…” — 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": "It is unlikely that the good...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail-should-reside-in-its-shell-so/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/it-is-unlikely-that-the-good-of-a-snail-should-reside-in-its-shell-so/#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 } } ] } ```