“Some things are in our control, while others are not. We control our opinion, choice, desire, aversion, and, in a word, everything of our own doing. We don’t control our body, property, reputation, position, and, in a word, everything not of our own doing. Even more, the things in our control are by nature free, unhindered, and unobstructed, while those not in our control are weak, slavish, can be hindered, and are not our own.”
Epictetus, Enchiridion, 1.1-2
I appreciate the slightly fatalistic tone of this excerpt, but it seems to be at the core of stoic teachings as well the old Serenity Prayer used in AA. The interesting word was “property” which I hadn’t thought of because I think of property ownership as very much under our control but if you think about it, there are many flaws with that line of thinking.