The ne plus ultra of Stoicism, Epictetus’s Discourses outline clear-cut principles of right conduct and true thinking, offering secular thinkers a mode of reasoning that dismisses the strictures of absolutism and emotionalism in exchange for a more peaceful and productive life. The Discourses report discussions between Epictetus and his students. These informal but earnest exchanges cover a broad range of topics—friendship, illness, fear, the quest for tranquility, and the futility of anger—as the teacher guides his class through careful consideration of the Stoic conception and realization of the philosophic life. This compilation of Books 1 and 2 of Epictetus’s work is the first of a two-volume set. Elizabeth Carter translation.