Compared to Aurelius there is something stinky and untasteful in unpoetic Epictetus. I’m waiting for the moment of abandoning it.
As for the quote, one remembers
freedom-lover Sancho, who doesn’t need to prove himself.
And if someone comes up to
you and says, ‘We were talking about who was the best philosopher, and one of
our group said that the only true philosopher was you’ your soul expands a
hundredfold. But if another member of the group said about you, ‘What nonsense!
There’s no point in listening to him. What does he know? He’s got the basics,
but nothing more than that,’ it drives you crazy. You turn pale and blurt out,
‘I’ll show him who I am! I’ll show him I’m a great philosopher!’ But that’s
exactly the kind of behavior that shows what a man is, so why try to prove
yourself in any other way? Don’t you remember how Diogenes identified a certain
sophist like that, by pointing at him with his middle finger, and then, when
the man had a fit, Diogenes said, ‘That’s the fellow. I’ve shown him to you.’
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