Good day, Stoics.
Epictetus once gave his students a simple piece of advice.
If someone steals your oil flask, don’t tell yourself,”
I’ve been ruined.
Instead, remind yourself,
The price of an oil flask is an oil flask.
At first, that sounds almost too simple.
But that’s exactly the point.
Epictetus wasn’t talking about the value of the flask.
He was talking about the cost of your peace of mind.
You can replace an oil flask.
You can replace money.
You can replace possessions.
But if every inconvenience steals your composure, you’re paying far more than the thing was ever worth.
The Stoics weren’t indifferent because nothing mattered.
They were careful about what they allowed to disturb them.
That’s the story.
The next time something small goes wrong, ask yourself:Am I paying more for this than it’s actually worth?
Because sometimes the greatest loss isn’t what happened.
It’s the peace we gave away in response.
Stay steady.