Translated by P.E. Matheson (Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1916)
Sonnet 4.6 Summary
Sonnet 4.6 Summary
One of the shortest chapters in the book, and one of the sharpest. A man claims to want nothing but accord with nature — then walks around stiffly, craving admiration. Epictetus's deflation is immediate: the very people whose admiration you want are the ones you habitually call mad. So you want to be admired by madmen. The contradiction ends the discussion.
Text
Text
WHEN a man has his proper station in life, he does not hanker after what is beyond him.
What is it, man, that you wish to have?
'I am content if I am in accord with Nature in what I will to get and will to avoid, if I follow Nature in impulse to act and to refrain from action, in purpose, and design and assent.'
Why then do you walk about as if you had swallowed a poker?
'I would fain that they who meet me should admire me, and cry aloud, "What a great philosopher!"'
Who are these by whom you wish to be admired? Are not these the men whom you generally describe as mad? What do you want then? Do you want to be admired by madmen?