48. The Portrait of Real Progress

Epictetus draws the portrait of a person who is making real progress. None of it is loud.

The mark of a common person is this: he never looks for benefit or for harm from himself, only from outside things.

The mark of a student of philosophy is this: he looks for all harm and all benefit from himself.

The signs of one who is making progress:

He blames no one, praises no one, accuses no one.

He says nothing about himself, as if he were somebody, or as if he knew anything.

When he is in any way blocked or held back, he blames himself.

If he is praised, he laughs quietly at the person praising him.

If he is blamed, he makes no defense.

He moves with the care of people recovering from sickness, afraid to disturb anything that has been set right, before it is fully healed.

He puts down all desire in himself.

He turns his aversion only toward those things that go against the proper use of our own power of choice.

The push of his active energy toward anything is very gentle.

If he seems stupid or ignorant, he does not care.

In a word, he watches himself as an enemy, as one lying in wait.

What this means. The person making real progress does not announce it. He is busy repairing the inside. Let that be you.