Discourses, Book II · Chapter XVI
Epictetus
Epictetus challenges the assumption that external events dictate our emotional turmoil. The real torment lies in how we perceive those events, not in the events themselves. This was a radical departure from the common belief in his time that fate and external forces controlled one's well-being. The Stoic exercise of examining and adjusting one's judgments was central to his teachings, emphasizing personal responsibility over victimhood.