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8. Wish Things to Happen as They Do


One of the most quoted teachings in all of Stoicism. Two short sentences that hold a whole way of life.

Do not demand that things happen as you wish.

Wish instead that they happen as they do happen, and you will go on well.

What this means. Fit your wants to reality, not reality to your wants. Peace begins the moment you stop arguing with what is.


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Citation

Epictetus. What Is Yours, translated and adapted by Daimon Classics. Daimon Classics, 2026. CC-BY 4.0. https://daimonclassics.com/books/what-is-yours/read/08-wish-things-to-happen-as-they-do