"Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants."
- Epictetus
Discourses
Epictetus offers a revolutionary redefinition of wealth that shifts the focus from external accumulation to internal satisfaction. True wealth is not measured by how much we own but by how little we need to feel content. This insight reveals two paths to prosperity: acquire everything we desire (impossible and exhausting) or reduce our desires to match what we already have (achievable and peaceful). The wealthy person, in this view, is not someone with the most possessions but someone with the fewest wants. This approach to wealth is both practical and liberating - it puts prosperity within everyone's reach regardless of economic circumstances. It's wealth that depends on wisdom rather than luck, character rather than inheritance.
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Discourses
Complete teachings of Epictetus
Enchiridion
The handbook of Stoic philosophy
Dichotomy of Control
Epictetus's core teaching
Stoic Practices
Apply Epictetus's teachings daily
The Four Stoic Virtues
Core principles of character development
Stoic Principles
Essential teachings for daily life