“ First learn the meaning of what you say, and then speak. ”
Freedom is the only worthy goal in life. It is won by disregarding things that lie beyond our control.
~ Epictetus
If anyone tells you that a certain person speaks ill of you, do not make excuses about what is said of you but answer, He was ignorant of my other faults, else he would not have mentioned these alone.
Don't explain your philosophy. Embody it.
Don't just say you have read books. Show that through them you have learned to think better, to be a more discriminating and reflective person. Books are the training weights of the mind. They are very helpful, but it would be a bad mistake to suppose that one has made progress simply by having internalized their contents. Translation by Sharon Lebell