Passage of the day · Friday 30 October 2026
People are upset not by what happens but by their judgements about what happens.
Epictetus, Enchiridion 5 · modern English rendering · check the source
George Long translation
Men are disturbed not by the things which happen, but by the opinions about the things
Modern reading
What upsets us is rarely the event itself. It is the story we tell ourselves about it. A cancelled plan, a curt email, a bad result: each arrives as a plain fact, and then we add the verdict that it is a disaster. Epictetus is pointing at that second step. You can't always choose what happens, but you can notice the verdict and ask whether it holds up.
One thing to do today
When something rattles you today, write down the bare fact in one line, then the judgement you added. Cross out the judgement.
Get the daily passage
One short email each morning at 6am NZT, apart from Saturdays. Unsubscribe with one click.