Stoic Philosophy
Epictetus
The Freed Slave Who Freed Minds
Where to Start Reading
The Enchiridion (Handbook)
A 50-page distillation of his entire philosophy, compiled by his student Arrian. Can be read in a single sitting. Start here — it's the most concentrated dose of Stoic ethics ever written. The Robin Hard translation (Penguin) is the best modern version.
Discourses
The full classroom conversations — four surviving books out of an original eight. Where the Enchiridion gives you the conclusions, the Discourses show you the arguments, the pushback from students, and the human texture. Read after the Handbook, not before.
How to Be Free: An Ancient Guide to the Stoic Life
A.A. Long's selection of key passages with facing Greek text. Not a substitute for the Discourses but an excellent bridge — curated for the modern reader who wants Epictetus without the scholarly apparatus.
“It is not things that disturb us, but our judgments about things.”