What upsets people is not things themselves but their judgements about these things.

Things themselves don't hurt or hinder us. Things simply are what they are. How we view these things is another matter.People think what they will think; it is of no concern to us.

When any person treats you ill or speaks ill of you, remember that he does this or says this because he thinks it is his duty. It is not possible, then, for him to follow that which seems right to you, but that which seems right to himself.

Do nothing in a depressed mood, nor as one afflicted, nor as thinking that you are in misery, for no one compels you to that.

If you think you control things that are in the control of others, you will lament. You will be disturbed and you will blame both gods and men.

Renew every day your conversation with God: Do this even in preference to eating. Think more often of God than you breathe.

Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents." Translation by Sharon Lebell

It is not so much what happens to you as how you think about what happens." Epictetus

If you wish to live a life free from sorrow, think of what is going to happen as if it had already happened.