--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: No living being is held by anything so…" description: "\"No living being is held by anything so strongly as by its own needs. Whatever therefore appears a hindrance to these, be it brother, or father, or chil..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/epictetus-413_brother_no-living-being-is-held-by-anything-so-s_1337385.jpg" --- # No living being is held by anything so strongly as by its… ![“No living being is held by anything so strongly as by its own needs. Whatever therefore appears a hindrance to these, be it brother, or father, or child, or mistress, or friend, is hated, abhorred, execrated.” quote by Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/epictetus-413_brother_no-living-being-is-held-by-anything-so-s_1337385.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/epictetus-413_brother_no-living-being-is-held-by-anything-so-s_1337385.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/640/epictetus-413_brother_no-living-being-is-held-by-anything-so-s_1337385.jpg) > “No living being is held by anything so strongly as by its own needs. Whatever therefore appears a hindrance to these, be it brother, or father, or child, or mistress, or friend, is hated, abhorred, execrated.” [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. Our own desires bind us tighter than any external force; anything that threatens those desires becomes an object of hatred. **In simple terms:** Our needs trap us; anything blocking them is despised. Key Takeaway Recognize and moderate personal cravings. Themes self‑control desire attachment emotions Mood reflective serious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - relationship conflicts - personal goals - addiction recovery - career ambitions Key Concepts Stoicism psychology human nature Questions to Reflect On - What needs dominate your decisions? - How can you lessen their grip? A Different Perspective Ignoring internal needs can lead to external blame. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Abhorred](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/abhorred-2174530/) [Appears Hindrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appears-hindrance-4506369/) [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Father](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/father/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Hated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hated/) [Hindrance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindrance/) [Hindrance Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hindrance-brother-4506368/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Living Held](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/living-held-1610013/) [Mistress](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistress/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) [Parenting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parenting/) ## Related quotes > [No living being is held by anything so strongly as its own needs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/no-living-being-is-held-by-anything-so-strongly-as-its-own-needs/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Sickness is a hindrance to the body, but not to your ability to choose, unless that is your choice. Lameness is a hindrance to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/sickness-is-a-hindrance-to-the-body-but-not-to-your-ability-to-choose/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [He is free who lives as he wishes to live; who is neither subject to compulsion nor to hindrance, nor to force; whose movements…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/he-is-free-who-lives-as-he-wishes-to-live-who-is-neither-subject-to/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [(That last infirmity of noble mind) To scorn delights, and live laborious days; But the fair guerdon when we hope to find, And think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/that-last-infirmity-of-noble-mind-to-scorn-delights-and-live/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [Make a careful list of all things done to you that you abhorred. Don't do them to others, ever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dee-hock/make-a-careful-list-of-all-things-done-to-you-that-you-abhorred-don-t-2/) [Dee Hock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dee-hock/) > [The gods are deaf to hot and peevish vows. They are polluted off'rings, more abhorred! Than spotted livers in the sacrifice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/the-gods-are-deaf-to-hot-and-peevish-vows-they-are-polluted-off-rings/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Empty minds are abhorred by thought as vacuums are by nature.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barbara-vine/empty-minds-are-abhorred-by-thought-as-vacuums-are-by-nature/) [Barbara Vine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barbara-vine/) > [Nature, or at least birds and women, abhorred the invisible man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-lethem/nature-or-at-least-birds-and-women-abhorred-the-invisible-man/) [Jonathan Lethem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-lethem/) > [I am a cemetery abhorred by the moon, In which long worms crawl like remorse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-baudelaire/i-am-a-cemetery-abhorred-by-the-moon-in-which-long-worms-crawl-like/) [Charles Baudelaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-baudelaire/) > [Ingratitude is abhorred by God and man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-l-estrange/ingratitude-is-abhorred-by-god-and-man/) [Roger L'Estrange](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-l-estrange/) > [“Hatred and vengeance, my eternal portion, Scarce can endure delay of execution, Wait with impatient readiness to seize my Soul in a moment. Damned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/hatred-and-vengeance-my-eternal-portion-scarce-can-endure-delay-of/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [I have always abhorred the word racism. I never use it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-clyburn/i-have-always-abhorred-the-word-racism-i-never-use-it/) [Jim Clyburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-clyburn/) > [One who was adored by all in prosperity is abhorred by all in adversity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baltasar-gracian/one-who-was-adored-by-all-in-prosperity-is-abhorred-by-all-in/) [Baltasar Gracian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baltasar-gracian/) > [“His strongest tastes were negative. He abhorred plastics, Picasso, sunbathing, and jazz--everything in fact that had happened in his own lifetime. The tiny kindling…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-waugh/his-strongest-tastes-were-negative-he-abhorred-plastics-picasso/) [Evelyn Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-waugh/) > [“He abhorred people who said things that hadn’t been thought through, thus he abhorred almost all mankind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-bernhard/he-abhorred-people-who-said-things-that-hadn-t-been-thought-through/) [Thomas Bernhard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-bernhard/) ## 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 Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) [Spencer Moody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spencer-moody/) > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. 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