“The proper work of the mind is the exercise of choice, refusal, yearning, repulsion, preparation, purpose, and assent. What then can pollute and clog the mind’s proper functioning? Nothing but its own corrupt decisions.”
EPICTETUS, DISCOURSES, 4.11.6-7
In today’s entry of The Daily Stoic book, we are treated to a quote from Epictetus where he lays out the seven functions of the mind. Author Ryan Holiday helps us understand each of them in detail, so I won’t bother repeating all that here since you can just read it in the book.
I do want to key on a certain part of the quote near the end, however, where it asks what can pollute the mind and cause it to function poorly? The answer is very revealing: only the mind can sabotage itself.
We have also learned from Epictetus that reasoned choice makes us effectively invincible. Utilizing the power of our rational thought and realizing that it is always available to us — that means that we can’t be betrayed, except by ourselves. Our mind is our main superpower, but it can betray itself with “corrupt decisions” and other poor choices. Don’t let that happen!
