# CXI explained — Short Works

> Chapter companion for Short Works by Epictetus.

## What happens

A concise aphorism contrasting the wise man's resistance to pleasure with the foolish man's enslavement to it.

## Themes in this chapter

### Moderation and Simplicity

The chapter directly advocates for resisting pleasures, a core tenet of moderation, and warns against the slavery of being controlled by them.

### Practical Ethics and Self-Discipline

The distinction between the wise and foolish man hinges on the practical exercise of self-discipline in the face of pleasure.

## Key lines

> It is the part of a wise man to resist pleasures, but of a foolish man to be a slave to them.

Wisdom is shown by mastering one's desires, while folly is shown by being mastered by them.

_A direct, binary statement on the ethical stance towards pleasure, defining character through one's relationship to desire._

## Links

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