strong'About things that are within our power and those that are not.'strong pEpictetus' emDiscoursesem have been the most widely read and influential of all writings of Stoic philosophy, from antiquity onwards. They set out the core ethical principles of Stoicism in a form designed to help people put them into practice and to use them as a basis for leading a good human life. Epictetus was a teacher, and a freed slave, whose discourses have a vivid informality, animated by anecdotes and dialogue. Forceful, direct, and challenging, their central message is that the basis of happiness is up to us, and that we all have the capacity, through sustained reflection and hard work, of achieving this goal. They still speak eloquently to modern readers seeking meaning in their own lives. pThis is the only complete modern translation of the emDiscoursesem, together with the emHandbookem or manual of key themes, and surviving fragments. Robin Hard's accurate and accessible translation is accompani