# CLVI explained — Short Works

> Chapter companion for Short Works by Epictetus.

## What happens

A concise, reciprocal statement on love, asserting that one cannot be loved by others if one does not oneself love.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Duty and Relationship

The excerpt defines a fundamental condition for social bonds and mutual affection, framing love as a reciprocal duty within human relationships.

## Key lines

> Let no man think that he is loved by any man when he loves no man.

You cannot expect to receive love from others if you do not give love yourself.

_Highlights the Stoic principle of reciprocity and the active role one must play in social ethics._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se/chapters/clvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/epictetus_short_works_se/chapters