Part 2/6:
Fortunately, a young man regularly listened to Epictetus and wrote down his teachings, which have been passed down to us over the centuries. These notes have been cherished by some of history's greatest figures, including the Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius, Theodore Roosevelt, and Admiral James Stockdale.
Epictetus' central teaching was the art of differentiating between what is within our control and what is not. He emphasized that our judgments about events, not the events themselves, are what disturb us. By focusing on what we can control - our choices and actions - we can find true happiness and resilience in the face of life's challenges.