--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Epictetus is reminding you that serenity…" description: "\"“Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your environment.”\" — Ryan Holiday" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg" --- # Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are… ![“Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your environment.” quote by Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg) > ““Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your environment.”” [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Serenity arises from personal judgment, not external circumstances. **In simple terms:** Your choices shape calm, not the world. Key Takeaway Control your judgments for peace. Themes philosophy stoicism self‑control Mood calm reflective Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - stress management - decision making - daily routine Key Concepts choice judgment inner peace Questions to Reflect On - How do you practice judgment in chaos? - What habits reinforce inner stability? A Different Perspective External events still affect emotions despite mindset. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epictetus/) [Serenity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/serenity/) ## Related quotes > [“serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your environment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/serenity-and-stability-are-results-of-your-choices-and-judgment-not/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“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/) > [There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. -Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/there-is-only-one-way-to-happiness-and-that-is-to-cease-worrying-2/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [“Show your character and commitment through your actions,” Epictetus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ballantyne/show-your-character-and-commitment-through-your-actions-epictetus/) [Craig Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ballantyne/) > [“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” - Epictetus By”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-martine/it-s-not-what-happens-to-you-but-how-you-react-to-it-that-matters/) Ali Martine > [“As Epictetus said centuries ago, “It is impossible to begin to learn what one thinks one already knows.” This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/as-epictetus-said-centuries-ago-it-is-impossible-to-begin-to-learn/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [Asked, Who is the rich man? Epictetus replied, �He who is content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/asked-who-is-the-rich-man-epictetus-replied-he-who-is-content/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“Asked how a man should best grieve his enemy, Epictetus replied, "By setting himself to live the noblest life himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/asked-how-a-man-should-best-grieve-his-enemy-epictetus-replied-by/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” Epictetus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/change-your-life-publishing/the-key-is-to-keep-company-only-with-people-who-uplift-you-whose/) [Change Your Life Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/change-your-life-publishing/) > [“Use, do not abuse; the wise man arrange things so. I flee Epictetus and Petronius alike. Neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/use-do-not-abuse-the-wise-man-arrange-things-so-i-flee-epictetus-and/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“Ernest Hemingway wrote that happiness in intelligent people is the rarest thing. However, if we are intelligent yet unhappy, then perhaps we are not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giannis-delimitsos/ernest-hemingway-wrote-that-happiness-in-intelligent-people-is-the/) [Giannis Delimitsos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giannis-delimitsos/) > [“If you wish to be a writer; write! Send quote to a friend Epictetus (50-120) Greek philosopher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/if-you-wish-to-be-a-writer-write-send-quote-to-a-friend-epictetus-50/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“What would Heracles have been if he had said, "How am I to prevent a big lion from appearing, or a big boar, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/what-would-heracles-have-been-if-he-had-said-how-am-i-to-prevent-a/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Only the educated are free. --Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/only-the-educated-are-free-epictetus/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-j-robertson/loving-your-fate-and-joyful-acceptance-epictetus-actually-describes-a/) [Donald J. Robertson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-j-robertson/) ## More by Ryan Holiday > [“If we can focus on making clear what parts of our day are within our control and what parts are not, we will not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/if-we-can-focus-on-making-clear-what-parts-of-our-day-are-within-our/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“The areas of great interest to the Stoics all make an appearance here: virtue, mortality, emotions, self-awareness, fortitude, right action, problem solving, acceptance, mental…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/the-areas-of-great-interest-to-the-stoics-all-make-an-appearance-here/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“With a business, we take most failures less personally and understand they’re part of the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/with-a-business-we-take-most-failures-less-personally-and-understand/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [“Many creatives want to be just the creator, or only “the idea guy.” They like that because it’s sexy and because that’s what comes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/many-creatives-want-to-be-just-the-creator-or-only-the-idea-guy-they/) [Ryan Holiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/) > [Pretty much everyone's career starts the same way: with grunt work. 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Neither abstinence nor excess ever renders man happy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/use-do-not-abuse-the-wise-man-arrange-things-so-i-flee-epictetus-and/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [“The key is to keep company only with people who uplift you, whose presence calls forth your best.” Epictetus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/change-your-life-publishing/the-key-is-to-keep-company-only-with-people-who-uplift-you-whose/) [Change Your Life Publishing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/change-your-life-publishing/) > [“Asked how a man should best grieve his enemy, Epictetus replied, "By setting himself to live the noblest life himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/asked-how-a-man-should-best-grieve-his-enemy-epictetus-replied-by/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [Asked, Who is the rich man? Epictetus replied, �He who is content.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/epictetus/asked-who-is-the-rich-man-epictetus-replied-he-who-is-content/) [Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/epictetus/) > [“As Epictetus said centuries ago, “It is impossible to begin to learn what one thinks one already knows.” This”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-wiseman/as-epictetus-said-centuries-ago-it-is-impossible-to-begin-to-learn/) [Liz Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-wiseman/) > [“It’s not what happens to you, but how you react to it that matters.” - Epictetus By”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-martine/it-s-not-what-happens-to-you-but-how-you-react-to-it-that-matters/) Ali Martine > [“Show your character and commitment through your actions,” Epictetus”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-ballantyne/show-your-character-and-commitment-through-your-actions-epictetus/) [Craig Ballantyne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-ballantyne/) > [There is only one way to happiness, and that is to cease worrying about things which are beyond the power of our will. -Epictetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/innah-delos-angeles/there-is-only-one-way-to-happiness-and-that-is-to-cease-worrying-2/) [Innah Delos Angeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/innah-delos-angeles/) > [“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/) > [“So what Epictetus was telling his students was that there can be no such thing as being the "victim" of another. 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Stockdale [Browse all 22 Epictetus quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epictetus/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your environment.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Ryan Holiday" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity-and-stability-are-results-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Epictetus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity-and-stability-are-results-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/928/ryan-holiday-514_epictetus_epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity_798998.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Epictetus is reminding you that serenity and stability are results of your choices and judgment, not your…” — Ryan Holiday", "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": "Ryan Holiday", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holiday/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Epictetus is reminding you that serenity...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity-and-stability-are-results-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holiday/epictetus-is-reminding-you-that-serenity-and-stability-are-results-of/#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 } } ] } ```