This statement encapsulates the fundamental Stoic insight about the source of our emotional experience. Events themselves are neutral - it's our interpretation, judgment, and meaning-making that creates our feelings about them. Rain might ruin our picnic or water our garden; job loss might be devastating or liberating; criticism might wound us or help us grow. The power lies not in controlling events (which is largely impossible) but in controlling our perspective on events (which is largely within our power). This places tremendous agency in our hands for creating our own emotional experience and life satisfaction.