November 25, 2024

In the book 'The Art of Living,' is based on the teachings of a philosopher named Epictetus. He was a slave for the first 30 years of his life, in fact, his name, Epictetus, translates to "the acquired one." In a series of his teachings, he had a pupil named Arrian who wrote down his lectures and that is how some of Epictetus's teachings survive to us today. Ancient Rome was a terrible place and Epictetus survived the brunt of it.

In 'The Art of Living, ' which is translated by Sharon Lebell, is the following: "remember; you will never earn the same rewards as others without employing the same methods and investment of time as they do. It is unreasonable to think we can earn rewards without being willing to pay their true price. Those who 'win' at something have no real advantage over you, because they had to pay the price for the reward. It is always our choice whether or not we wish to pay the price for life's rewards. And often its best for us to not pay the price. For the price might be our integrity. We could be forced to praise someone whom we don't respect."