From Short Works:

│ If then you desire (aim at) such great things, remember that you must not

│ (attempt to) lay hold of them with a small effort; but you must leave alone

│ some things entirely, and postpone others for the present.

It's likely that great things here refers to things under control. At least, that would be consistent. So the passage is conveying that while pursuing the things under control, it may be necessary to forego the things that are not, either temporarily or even long term. This is a really weird way to phrase it.

Tags: epictetus

created: 2026-01-12

(re)generated: 2026-07-17