Quote by Epictetus

The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are those of bearing and forbearing.


The two powers which in my opinion constitute a wise man are

Summary

This quote suggests that true wisdom is defined by the ability to exercise both patience and self-control. The "powers" of bearing and forbearing imply the capacity to tolerate and endure challenging situations or difficult individuals without losing composure. A wise person understands the importance of restraint, forgiveness, and empathy, choosing their battles wisely and maintaining a sense of calm in the face of adversity. This quote emphasizes that true wisdom encompasses not only knowledge but also the qualities of patience and self-restraint.

Topics

Patience
By Epictetus
Liked the quote? Share it with your friends.

Random Quotations

American planes full of holes and wounded men and corpses took off backwards from an airfield in England. Over France a few German fighter planes flew at them backwards sucked bullets and shell fragments from some of the planes and crewmen. They did the same for wrecked American bombers on the ground and those planes flew up backwards to join the formation. The formation flew backwards over a German city that was in flames. The bombers opened their bomb bay doors exerted a miraculous magnetism which shrunk the fires gathered them into cylindrical steel containers and lifted the containers into the bellies of the planes. The containers were stored neatly in racks. The Germans below had miraculous devices of their own which were long steel tubes. They used them to suck more fragments from the crewmen and planes. But there were still a few wounded Americans though and some of the bombers were in bad repair. Over France though German fighters came up again made everything and everybody as good as new. When the bombers got back to their base the steel cylinders were taken from the racks and shipped back to the United States of America where factories were operating night and day dismantling the cylinders separating the dangerous contents into minerals. Touchingly it was mainly women who did this work. The minerals were then shipped to specialists in remote areas. It was their business to put them into the ground to hide them cleverly so they would never hurt anybody ever again.

Kurt Vonnegut